7 Man Mechanics Question

[MN BB Ref]

Originally Posted by CT1

Our state uses 7 in the finals. Other playoff rounds are 5-man, or 7 by mutual agreement of the coaches.

We use 5 in MN during the season and post-season. As a white hat I would be reluctant to change the complexion of my crew, especially in a state playoff game. I trust my crew and know their capabilities. Adding new faces would make me a bit uneasy in a high stakes game.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by MN BB Ref

We use 5 in MN during the season and post-season. As a white hat I would be reluctant to change the complexion of my crew, especially in a state playoff game. I trust my crew and know their capabilities. Adding new faces would make me a bit uneasy in a high stakes game.

Normally I'd agree with you, but adding a SJ and FJ only changes the responsibilities of the BJ - and not in too difficult a way.

The only weirdness is on kicks.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

Normally I'd agree with you, but adding a SJ and FJ only changes the responsibilities of the BJ - and not in too difficult a way.

The only weirdness is on kicks.

The short wings have to remember to stop at the 2 yard line on scrimmage plays that start from outside the 5. Lots of verbal communication is necessary between short and deep wings. The key for deep wings is to remember that outside the 2 yard line they have no spotting responsibilities and to keep a cushion.

The addition of deep wings can change keys for the short wings, too. That's not a trivial thing, but worked properly means we can stay with our keys a bit longer.

As a first year SJ, it's not a trivial adjustment and I would want good officials in those positions if we did this on my HS crew. But I think the deep wings bring a LOT to the table and relieve the short wings of a lot of work.

One thing I'll disagree with in this thread. I'd rather work with 6 than 5. Yes, I do think 7 is much better than 6, but I'd rather have two deep wings than one official trying to cover the entire field deep. Two deep wings provide a lot. The only place I really don't like 6 is when the deep wings start at a pylon and still have to cover the end line.

[Texas Aggie]

If we HAD to work 6 (many around here have and feel 5 is better), I'd work it in a modified way with a Back Judge and Side Judge. The BJ would favor the LJ side but still take the punt returner and the middle if they threw a post route. We did this in a JV game (schedule mix up) several years ago. It allowed the HL to work much like he would on punts and FG attempts -- stay closer to the line.

[JasonLJ]

We use 5 regular season, 7 for postseason. Coaches don't have a say.

[parepat]

Ohio uses 5 in the playoffs. In addition, if you work a 7 man game during the year, it doesn't count as a game toward your minimums for playoff consideration.