Fishing in my Pond

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by Redneck Ref

I tell the Linejudge to stay out of my area wheather I am right or wrong...

Any thoughts?

Yeah, this is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard an official say. On a pass play near your sideline you should be trailing the play. The opposite wing probably did have a better look at forward progress than you did.

Sounds to me like someone's ego got a little bruised.

[whitehat]

Had a similar situation last night. I was HL. big pile up out near numbers opposite sidline. I got a spot from my side (crossfield mechanics) of where i thought forward progress was stopped. Suddenly, as LJ is running in toward the pile the ball gets stripped and returned by B for about 20 yards.

Coach on my sideline was not happy thinking forward progress had been stopped before his kid was stripped of the ball. I explained I could not clearly see the runner or the ball (neither could the coach) but would go check with the LJ. LJ said pile was still moving and kid was stripped before progress stopped. The coach remained convinced we blew that one.

What caused the situation to become controversial was when the LJ ran in toward the pile, no whistle, as if progress was stopped. Had he stayed where he was on the sideline and let the play develop it would have looked cleaner and been easier to sell, and having been still might have been able to get a better look himslef (running and seeing are not always a good combination).

When I went over to talk with the LJ I did not use condescending words, but simply asked him what he saw and that I did not have a clear view of the runner or the ball but had a spot of what I thought was forward progress. He explained his side, we gave the ball to B and I went and did damage control with the coach on my sideline.

Lesson 1: If progress not stopped, don't move in towards the pile as if it has.
Lesson 2. work as a team and don't use language that will cause a crew member to become defensive. This LJ is a good official and now he will be even better with this mechanics tweak.
lesson 3: we all make mistakes and becoming "territorial" like the comment in the OP is counterproductive to good crew relations and mechanics. there is a proper time and place to maybe have a stronger discussion, but on the field in the middle of a game does no one any good IMO.

peace.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by whitehat

Lesson 1: If progress not stopped, don't move in towards the pile as if it has.
Lesson 2. work as a team and don't use language that will cause a crew member to become defensive. This LJ is a good official and now he will be even better with this mechanics tweak.
lesson 3: we all make mistakes and becoming "territorial" like the comment in the OP is counterproductive to good crew relations and mechanics. there is a proper time and place to maybe have a stronger discussion, but on the field in the middle of a game does no one any good IMO. peace.

I agree wholheartedly with lessons 2 and 3. When there is an apparent difference of conclusion between field officials, the appropriate way to deal with it is for those officials to get together, share each other's perspectives and agree on a single conclusion.

That discussion should be immediate and as private as possible and absent any gestures or signals until a conclusion is agreed upon. Priority should be given to the official who saw something as opposed to the officials whose conclusion is based on something not seen (i.e. a forward pass SEEN to touch the ground before being caught versus a pass NOT SEEN to touch the ground before being caught, would be ruled incomplete).

I didn't understand the suggested lesson 1. Had the LJ believed progress was stopped, I believe he would have signalled so with his whistle as he was converging. Moving towards the ball and NOT sounding a whistle would suggest to me that he was still observing a live ball.

Any subsequent explanations you choose to make can be easily handled by simply informing "He (the other official) had the better view and saw something I didn't". If, or to what extent, you choose to amplify that information is up to you, but usually, the less said the better.

[GetItRight]

Someone needs a lesson in watching his area of responsibility and not watching the ball carrier when he is out of his zone. Classic case of ball watching rather than his area of responsibility. Easiest way to explain it is that if the ball is nto in his zone, and he is not watching his zone, that no one is covering his zone and bad things can happen. Explain the need to watch his zone and have faith that his partners can do their job.

[MNBlue]

Originally Posted by GetItRight

Someone needs a lesson in watching his area of responsibility and not watching the ball carrier when he is out of his zone. Classic case of ball watching rather than his area of responsibility. Easiest way to explain it is that if the ball is nto in his zone, and he is not watching his zone, that no one is covering his zone and bad things can happen. Explain the need to watch his zone and have faith that his partners can do their job.

I kind of disagree.

We should definitely be officiating in our area - if we don't, no one will, but we should also be observing ALL areas. If there is a question about a play, the last thing the white hat wants to hear is "I don't know. It wasn't my area."

We need to take care of our area, but we also need to have an opinion about everything that happens on the field. If you don't have all the information because you couldn't see everything, you need to articulate that during the discussion. Form an opinion but be open to new information.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by GetItRight

Someone needs a lesson in watching his area of responsibility and not watching the ball carrier when he is out of his zone. Classic case of ball watching rather than his area of responsibility. Easiest way to explain it is that if the ball is nto in his zone, and he is not watching his zone, that no one is covering his zone and bad things can happen. Explain the need to watch his zone and have faith that his partners can do their job.

Never heard of cross-field mechanics, I guess.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Never heard of cross-field mechanics, I guess.

I guess he never knew that forward progress involves two people, not just one.

Peace