I agree with the whistle kills the play, we were always taught while breaking in that the order is:
whistle (stops all action)
kill the clock
flag
I keep the whistle in my mouth until the play starts then I spit it out and hold it.

Starting as a basketball official 16 years ago, I've always been partial to a whistle with a lanyard.

2 reasons I hate the finger whistle:

(1) Two handed mechanics, like stopping the clock or signaling an incomplete pass. Looks awkward when the official starts signaling with one hand.

(2) Feels funny on my hand.

Anyhow, I do what others here talk about -- I put the whistle in my mouth and then let it drop on the snap. Unless I have to run hard, I'll take the whistle and hold it in my hand until it needs to be blown. Best of both worlds.

Rich

I think the tape on the end of your flag looks tacky
when the flag is on the ground. I suggest following other tips on this thread, learning the correct way for you and
just keeping your head in the game. We , as officials,
do not need to be trying to think of ways to cover mistakes.
We need to be thinking of more ways for preventing these
mistakes in the first place.

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We tape the "bag" end of the flag here with the white atletic tape, for the flag to not be obvious yellow hanging outa the uniform....just following the assc rules:o)

I don't know that taping a flag is covering a mistake. First, it looks better not having the yellow hanging out of the front of the uniform (I don't carry it in my back pocket because I don't want the grass and dirt in the pants). Second, if I have a hand on my flag and don't throw because I decided not to, then that's not covering a mistake. It means that, while a foul occurred, that there was some reason I decided not to flag.