There has been an increasing trend over the past several years with injured officials during the game. Some injuries have been minor and some have been career-ending.
First of all, pre-season conditioning is the best solution to prevent injuries during the season. If you are overweight, work to get yourself in proper shape in the offseason and then STAY there - nutrition is a big key. Secondly, you must keep youself in top condition during the season. Working football games during the week alone will not be enough!
You must have a lifestyle change and get into an in-season routine of exercise, along with and in addition to, your football games, and have a proper offseason routine to continue a healthy lifestyle and to keep in top shape as you prepare for each season. This will greatly lessen the chance of an injury.
Part of your discussion before each game should be what to do mechanically if you have an injured official. Who will work where? How will you adjust to having only four officials on the field? What will need to change with your mechanics to properly cover the varsity game?
You may not want your Back Judge working as the Umpire. He may need to move to the wing and one of the wing officials come into the middle. Talk about ball mechanics if this happens and how you will adjust. Be aware that now you will have an official, or officials, out of normal position and you must work to keep a good pace and flow to the game.
Discuss how deep passes will be affected by the lack of a deep official. Who can assist with coverage? How can your wing officials get to the proper angle to make the call?
Having an injured official will require that you make necessary changes and adapt to those changes quickly. And you still must be able to overcome the loss of the crewmate for the game and to officiate properly and professionally.
By having an injured official plan in place will alleviate some of the stress should this occur during your game.
As the 2011 high school football season comes to an end, emotions will be extremely high for both teams. There will be Seniors who will be playing in their final games, teams that have no chance at playoffs and who will be playing hard right to the edge, and other teams that will be in a must-win situation to advance to the playoffs.
During the course of the game, be sure that you continually talk with players and coaches who may be nearing a breaking point so that you are the calming influence on the field. If you see action that needs attention or is close to being a personal foul or an unsportsmanlike behavior, get to those players and let them know that you are aware and are watching their every move. This will prevent players from crossing the line and turning the game into an unmanageble frenzy that will have undesirable results.
Keep the sidelines clear when the ball is alive. Don’t allow coaches out on the field during those live ball periods. Talk to them first, ask the Head Coach for assistance and use your flag ONLY as a last resort. The coaching staff will be very animated during the end of the season.
Preventative officiating will keep many problems from occuring. It will also add to your professionalism and allow you to control the game without fouls and penalties. Do everything you can to prevent players and coaches from doing something detrimental to their team. This will reflect extremely well on you and your crew, and the overall game of high school football!
During these last 3 weeks of the 2011 season, Senior Night activities will be an important part of the game at the coin toss.
As seniors are recognized at their final home game, this will be an emotional time in their lives as they suddenly realize that their high school football career is over and now must be left behind. As officials, we do not want to lessen the importance of this milestone or deny them the recognition that they so deserve.
During the coin toss, all of the seniors on the home team may emerge from the locker room and line up on the sideline. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and the entire line of seniors may come onto the field all the way to the hash marks, but they cannot come to the center of the field for the coin toss. Only four (4) captains or seniors may be involved in the coin toss with the Referee and Umpire.
The Line Judge and Referee must communicate with the seniors that come to the sideline and inform them that those not directly involved in the coin toss must stop at the hash. It would be best to line up the four captains and Referee between the numbers and sideline, have the Line Judge directly behind them toward the sideline and the remaining seniors on the sideline, who hopefully have been instructed to stop when the Line Judge stops.
Whatever your process or mechanic might be to properly line up the seniors, you want it to look sharp and organized with no confusion. This will draw the proper attention to the seniors on the team and allow them one last official pregame act on their home field.
Take your time with this, and make it look nice!
With the weather changing dramatically, bringing cooler temps and rain, it is important that your crew begin to have discussions during your pregame as what your ball mechanics will be with wet game balls.
The driver for changing out balls will, of course, be the Umpire. In some instances, the ball may only be damp and may not have to be changed as often, but in other cases, every ball in the stadium may be completely saturated with not a dry spot or grip on it. This is when you need to know, as a crew, how you will handle these situations.
Make sure that the ball personnel have towels or bags or some way to keep the balls dry on the sideline. The Umpire should have a towel on the field in his belt to assist with drying. The Umpire may even choose to hold the ball under the towel until the offense is ready to snap to keep it as dry as posssible. On another note, the Umpire should never set the ball down in a puddle or in a pile of mud unless absolutely necessary (however during heavy rain, on grass fields, he may have no choice). You can move the ball laterally to the closest, driest spot if need be.
Make sure that the game balls are checked/inspected each time they enter the game to see if some illegal drying agent or substance has been put on the ball. We cannot allow that to happen - good or bad weather! Also keep in mind that game balls during heavy rain periods can be changed after every down if necessary - but be sure that you do this for both teams.
Ball mechanics are crucial for game pace. Wet game ball mechanics are even more important. Crew understanding of what will occur during games that are rain-intense will alleviate confusion and delay by the crew and both teams.
Each crew member has a responsibility during a timeout. Many of our crews do not follow proper timeout mechanics.
When a timeout is called, several GTOA crews all converge around the location of the ball. I have seen several stand their with their arms crossed or their hands in their pockets and hem-hawing around waiting for the timeout to be over. Then they meander back to their position and get ready for the game to resume. This looks extremely bad.
When a timeout is taken, the wing officials should stay with their team on or near the sideline and be ready to bring them back out for play when the Back Judge gives the 45 second warning whistle.
The Back Judge should stay at his normal position and properly time the timeout period giving the proper whistle or hand signals to the Referee.
The Referee and Umpire may be together near the ball and can discuss pace or situations that they want to review with the crew.
All crew members should write down the quarter, time and player or coach that called the timeout and all officials should know how many are remaining for each team (it is the wing official’s responsibility to inform the Head Coach how many timeouts he has left).
Many times, I have seen that NO officials on the field record the timeout information on their cards! Those officials must have excellent memories…………
As I have stated before, what you do during deadball periods, especially timeouts, can make or break your crew. These are times when fans, players, coaches, evaluators, administrations and others could be, and probably are, looking directly at you and your crew. There is no other action occurring on the field at these times and you, as officials, become a focal point.
Your mannerisms and body language during deadball and timeout periods will tell the tale of your professionalism and integrity surrounding the game. What will yours be?
While watching crews recently, there has been some inconsistentcy with preliminary signals.
Some crews have a Referee that gives a preliminary signal and some do not. Other crews have the calling official give the preliminary signal only and not the Referee. Even other crews give no preliminary signal and some have a combination of all of the above.
Preliminary signals in high school are fine to give. However, they need to be consistent among your crew. It doesn’t matter of you use them or not, but whatever you do, make them consistent throughout the game - every game. Don’t mix and match, if you will.
If the R gives a preliminary, do it every time. If the calling official gives the preliminary and R gives the final during announcement, then do it every time. It is NOT necessary for the calling official to give a preliminary and the R as well, and then a final signal during announcement. Just one preliminary will do and it will speed up your penalty administration time.
As stated before, it’s the little things that will set you apart from other crews and this is one mechanic that can really make you sharp if you are consistent.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to get out on the field prior to the game for team and field inspection. This is due to the fact that many of the schools now have pre-game ceremonies, activities and band performances.
Many teams leave the field by 7:00pm so that these pre-game activities can take place. This does not clear you of your necessary team and field inspection responsibilities. You must have a look at the players, field and game balls. You should also speak directly with the chain crew and ball personnel well before the game.
When you arrive at the game site, find the game administrator and inquire about the pre-game activities and when teams will be leaving the field (this can also be done by the R when he calls for crew confirmation on Monday). If they are leaving the field early, then make sure you get at least 3 of your crew’s officials on the field before that time. One way to do this is to have your B, H & L get dressed and move to the field while the R & U are having their pre-game meeting with the Head Coaches. Many crews wait until the R & U have returned from the Coaches meeting before they leave the locker room. If time is tight, get to the field early and don’t wait on the Referee and Umpire to return.
Get your pre-game duties taken care of!! This may cause you to adjust your pre-game timing and be on the field by 6:30pm for inspection instead of 7:00pm, which should be no problem as long as you are at the game site by 6:00pm, which is required by the OSSAA and GTOA.
Referees -
After watching several GTOA high school games this past weekend, I noticed a common factor. Many of you do not look up at the press box when making your penalty announcements. Be sure to get set, be stationary, look up to the press box, signal and make your announcement.
Also, when you have a penalty and it gets reported to you, several of you are “traveling” a long way to get to an open spot on the field (walking or running a long distance - 20 yards or more). It is NOT necessary for you to go that far to find an open spot. And you do NOT have to come to the inbounds mark on the press box side of the field. Find an open area close to where you received the penalty report from the calling official and make your announcement from right there. The other officials on the field should assist with clearing that specific area of players, trainers and/or coaches so that you don’t move a long distance to make your announcement. This will make your game pace more efficient and speed up penalty administration.
Get set before you make your announcement. Have all of the information that you need. Don’t walk or wander around while giving signals and announcements. It appears sloppy. Don’t give signals in front of your face, do them to the side or below.
Be aware of where and what you are doing with your penalty announcements. Poor mechanics will make you appear sloppy, sharp mechanics will solidify your professionalism.
It was suggested at the OSSAA Officials Conference that crews may now use modified free kick and punt coverage mechanics.
FREE KICK - One official on K’s restraining line, Two officials on R’s restraining line and 2 officials on the Goal Line. The typical location of officials will be B on the K restraining line, H/L on the R restraining line and R/U on the goal line. However, it would be acceptable for your crew to place officials at other positions if necessary (i.e. - U on R restraining line, H/L on K restraining line, B/R on goal line, etc.) Place your officials in the best location for your crew.
PUNT - The Back Judge may now be positioned on the wide side of the field instead of always on the Linesman’s side for better coverage. The L and H will have to communicate with each other regarding who will be leaving the LOS when the ball crosses the NZ after the kick. If the ball is on the H side inbounds mark (hash), the L would go downfield, and vice-versa.
Both of these options provide possible better coverage for free kick and punt plays. On the free kick, the goal line officials protect the pylon and can better see where a KOB may be spotted and the officials on the restraining line can better cover a pooch kick or onside kick. On the punt, the Back Judge will now not be pinned against the H side line should the ball be kicked from that inbounds mark (hash on the H side).
The 2010 season has ended. Now is the time to begin reviewing your mechanics. If possible, request a DVD copy of your games from the coaches (if you did not do so during the season). If you send them a SASE and a blank DVD, most coaches will send you a copy of the game.
Watching yourself and your crew on film is the absolute best way to review your mechanics and positioning. This is a necessary step for greater overall improvement.
If you keep a journal of your games, hopefully you wrote down mechanical issues that may have occurred. Look back over your notes and see if there is something that you can do to address any issues or make any particular mechanic that you use better.
Mechanics can make or break a crew. Having solid mechanics will help if there is an issue during the game. Coaches will be much more apt to forgive any issue with a crew who is solid versus sloppy. Sloppy mechanics are perceived as laziness and showing a disinterest in the game.
Are your mechanics tight? Get the film, watch and see……..
As a crew, there will occasionally be a foul called in error, or a situation that is ruled incorrectly. When the calling official or other crew members recognize that an incorrect call or ruling has been made, take the necessary time to conference as a crew and correct any errors appropriately.
Be sure to have a crew member not involved in the conference to assist with keeping players clear of the crew conference area. Players in and around the conferencing officials will cause confusion and not allow the officials to talk with a clear presence.
Don’t worry about the time that it may be taking to correct the call or any perceptions that you think may be formed. Work through the correction, identify all factors, know what the result should be and properly correct the call. When all is said and done, have the Referee inform the coaches of the corrective action and then announce the situation correctly (if mic’d).
Get it right and then move on…………..
A rare situation is when you have a deep pass that is caught by both the reciever and defender at the same time. First on your list is to ensure that the pass was caught legally with no pass interference by either player. Secondly, the pass “process” must be completed and both players must have joint-possesion of the ball.
When this occurs, joint-possesion is awarded to the offensive player and the pass is ruled complete. This situation must be explained in detail to the defending player and coach and it must be understood that this cannot be an interception.
When a situation arises where prior to the snap you have defensive encroachment and a false start at the same time, it may be advisable to offset the penalities.
This situation may occur with a hard count by the QB and an offensive player simulates that snap and a defensive player jumps into the neutral zone at the same time and a determination cannot be made as to who moved first.
The argument can be made that the offensive player, by moving, drew the defensive player into the neutral zone. However, if both move at the same time, there really is no advantage or disadvantage to this act and you can easily offset the penalties and replay the down - no harm, no foul.
In most situations of this type, it is usually clear - either the offensive player moves prior to the snap and the defensive player reacts or the defensive player moves into the NZ, while no offensive player moves at all. But if you cannot make a quick and decisive determination as to who caused the movement, especially if simultaneous, use your better judgement and offset.
Sometimes as officials, we react to pre-snap penalties outside of our keys (example: Umpire throws a flag for a false start or illegal motion on a running back).
If you should find yourself in this situation and throw your flag for a pre-snap penalty that is not on your key, don’t try to hide it. Throw the flag, then conference with the official whose key it would have been. If he agrees, administer the penalty, if not, wave it off and move on.
In some instances this just may be a crew saver, in others, it might create a problem. Know the difference!!
As an Umpire, it is extremely important that both coaching staffs and the centers for both teams know whether or not you will be staying over the ball in particular situations. This should be a discussion that you have with the coaches and centers during pre-game.
Some Umpires never stay over the ball and move back to their positions immediately after spotting the ball. However, other Umpires will stay over the ball, signal the down to the wings and not move off until the ready for play has been blown.
If you do not stay over the ball, be sure that you have the center and/or QB’s attention so that he knows when the ready for play has been blown or when it is OK to snap the ball. This will prevent an errant snap or cheap penalty on the offense, especially in hurry-up situations or with no-huddle teams.
If you stay over the ball, try not to interfere with the pace of the offense and be sure that you can be safely to your position before the ball is snapped so that you are not caught up in any action with a quick snap.
Every year we see crews with excellent mechanics, but are perceived as “lazy” because they are walking on the field.
Make every attempt to walk as little as possible. Hustle to spots when the play is over, run to your field location after each kickoff instead of walking, move with a purpose everywhere on the field.
It’s the little things that will make your crew and yourself better and hustle is certainly one of them. Coaches and players will feel like you are disinterested in the game if you are walking around on the field during dead ball intervals, walking to your position after plays or kickoffs, stretching on the field between plays or timeouts or having your hands in your pockets or on your hips.
Be focused on the game, be aware of your surroundings and game situations. Be constructive with all of your actions and movements. This will go a long way in cleaning up any perception of laziness or non-interest from your crew.
When you are working a televised game, it is important that the Referee explain difficult, unusual situations or mutliple penalties, especially if there is a crew conference for any penalty administration or situation.
Commentators or analysts are not always entirely sure of what may have transpired on any given play that may have had a situation described above. The Referee should announce what has occurred clearly and concisely to clean up any confusion for the commentators and the viewing public. Commentators have been heard assuming situation results incorrectly or explaining the situation under a different rule set (mainly NCAA). This can easily be rectified with a proper announcement by the Referee.
The Referee should give the announcement at the nearest clear area on the field. There is no need to walk to the middle of the field (which could be several steps or even several yards) to make the announcement. The camera will find you.
The Referee should never announce the number of the player involved in the penalty for a high school game. It is simply a foul on the “offense” or “defense”. Player number announcements are only given at the NCAA and NFL levels.
At times, working sub-varsity games under 4-man mechanics, it can be difficult getting player counts on both offense and defense. At the sub-varsity level - especially 8th & 9th grade, it seems multiple, confusion-based substitutions are a regular occurrence.
The Umpire should assist with counting the defensive players along with his regular responsibility of counting the offensive players and signal to the wing officials that there are 11 (or not) on defense. This will assist the wing officials who sometimes have players running on and off the field, up until nearly the snap.
If you are not sure of the player count, throw the flag, count the players and be sure. If you have 12 or more on the field, assess a substitution penalty, if not, wave off the flag and move on. You don’t want the play to go with more than 11 players on either offense or defense and hit the team with an illegal participation foul.
Nothing will kill a crew’s credibility more than marking off too many or too few yards on a penalty administration.
Make sure that the Umpire and Head Linesman communicate before and after the yardage walkoff to ensure that they agree on where the ball should be placed. The Line Judge should also be involved as backup.
The U and H should know the enforcement spot and move together as the penalty is marked off. The U and H should acknowledge the succeeding spot BEFORE the ball is placed on the ground, and if there is any confusion, check with the Line Judge.
Penalty adminstration is the responsiblity of all crew members. There is no shame in correcting a mis-administration before the next live ball. However, allowing play to continue after a mis-administration can be a crew-killer!
It’s important as a crew that you track your fouls/penalties for each game. This will help you understand trends and tendencies that you may have. It will also provide a tool for you to review your game and mentally review any called foul. There is a penalty tracking form under Forms & Documentation on this website that is available to assist you with this task.
Are you a black & white, letter of the law official? Did the foul have an affect on the play? Did you apply the advantage/disadvantage philosophy? Would you throw on it if it happened again? Was it a safety foul? These are all questions you can ask yourself if you track your fouls and review them weekly.
Coaches continually question consistency. They may have one game with 7 fouls and the next with 25. Have they deteriorated that much in just one week or are some officials over-officaiting and hunting for fouls? These are the types of questions that are received by the GTOA leadership and our goal is to bring consistency across the board.
Each game is unique. There very well may be 7 fouls in one game and 25 in another - and if each foul is called under the GTOA philosophy, regardless of number, then we will have done our job as officials.
See the whole play, apply the GTOA philosophy, make the call, track the foul, review the call and you will only get better!