End of Wisconsin - Arizona State game

[APG]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

News to me. When you stand up holding the ball, players tend to think it's still live. Why is it any clearer than leaving the ball on the ground, which is what officials have asked players to do since 1905?

That's not what he suggested...he said the QB, after taking a knee, should have handed the ball to the nearest official, instead of spotting it himself...which the QB even admitted himself.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by APG

That's not what he suggested...he said the QB, after taking a knee, should have handed the ball to the nearest official, instead of spotting it himself...which the QB even admitted himself.

I know it's not what he suggested, but it's what I coach. I'm not having my players look around for an official. It's the official's job to get the ball. I've also never heard an official ask for such service from a player, I just hear them tell them to get off the ball, leave the ball, etc. Having the players deliver the ball to them or wait there for them to come pick it up delays the game, at least insofar as it affects my players. If they attempt to throw the ball to an official, the delay can be even greater.

As it appears from the photos, the player in this case spotted the ball perfectly. He even left the laces up for his snapper!

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

I know it's not what he suggested, but it's what I coach. I'm not having my players look around for an official. It's the official's job to get the ball. I've also never heard an official ask for such service from a player, I just hear them tell them to get off the ball, leave the ball, etc. Having the players deliver the ball to them or wait there for them to come pick it up delays the game, at least insofar as it affects my players. If they attempt to throw the ball to an official, the delay can be even greater.

As it appears from the photos, the player in this case spotted the ball perfectly. He even left the laces up for his snapper!

I do not know about you, but I probably work more games then you coach at both the college ranks and the high school ranks. At the college level we are used to the football being thrown to us by even those that are not as accurate with their tosses. At the high school level we do not have ball boys, so that is how we often get the ball back to our umpire. Rarely have a problem. And once again, it was to Wisconsin's advantage to give the official the ball themselves. Instead they allowed confusion and you see what happened. They lost.

You can point fingers all day long, but I tend to look at what I could have done instead of saying why someone else was at fault. I can only control what I do. I can never control what others do.

Peace

[APG]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

I know it's not what he suggested, but it's what I coach. I'm not having my players look around for an official. It's the official's job to get the ball. I've also never heard an official ask for such service from a player, I just hear them tell them to get off the ball, leave the ball, etc. Having the players deliver the ball to them or wait there for them to come pick it up delays the game, at least insofar as it affects my players. If they attempt to throw the ball to an official, the delay can be even greater.

As it appears from the photos, the player in this case spotted the ball perfectly. He even left the laces up for his snapper!

That's your team...coach them as you see fit. Sure it's the official's job to get the ball, but the team that hands it to the official makes the job quicker and easier for the official. If you feel your team doesn't have the ability to quickly find the nearest official, then by all means tell them to just drop the ball.