Welcome to Art of Officiating’s “Weekly Dozen”, comprising plays through November 1st, 2025. These videos are from Colorado games, so I’ll reference the Colorado 5-person mechanics manual and Colorado rules interpretations and modifications. Please consult your state’s mechanics manual and rules interpretations if I say something that doesn’t match what you do in your state.
1 – This first clip deals with sideline management. I’ll play the clip and give a quick narration to set the stage.
Focus on the linesman and this coach, who’s standing in the coaches’ area. You can see the linesman asking the coach to step back. Another coach helps pull him away, but a few seconds later, the coach steps right back in with his arms crossed. The linesman yells again, the coach ignores him, and the linesman throws a flag—then gives what appears to be the sideline warning signal.
A quick reminder: the sideline warning signal is arms extended at chest level, parallel to the ground, with a forward motion.
Officiating is a human endeavor. We’re dealing with all kinds of personalities—ours included. We have tools in our toolkit to handle these interactions, but there’s no single approach that fits every coach or every situation.
Let’s start with the rule. Rule 9-8-3 says no player, nonplayer, or coach shall be in the restricted area when the ball is live. The penalty section clarifies that the first offense results in a warning—what we commonly call a sideline warning.
Here’s the issue: the ball wasn’t live. That means a sideline warning isn’t the right tool in this moment.
Every other coach and player is in the team box. This one coach has decided the linesman can’t tell him where to stand. It’s early in the first quarter, so maybe there’s some backstory, maybe there’s been friction already—but here’s where discretion comes in.
The ball is snapped on the A-47, and the coach is about nine yards behind that, standing on the A-38. My concern level is lower when coaches are behind the play compared to when they’re in front of it, especially before a punt. Yes, if the play reverses, there’s a risk of collision, but realistically, several players and coaches will instinctively step into the restricted area as they watch the play unfold. This coach won’t be the only one.
Some officials might say, “If you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile,” or use the phrase “what we permit, we promote.” Personally, I’m not a fan of that logic. We’re not parenting toddlers. We’re managing adults in a competitive, emotional environment. Ignoring the coach doesn’t mean he wins. Managing the game doesn’t always mean confronting every bit of bad behavior. Sometimes, the best management tool is restraint. It’s okay to stay focused on the next play and not the argument.
I’m a very high “J” in the Meyers Briggs test, so I get it. But with our positional authority as football officials, we can’t become indignant when a coach doesn’t do exactly what we want or when a teenaged football player defiantly ignores us. We need to balance the ability to flag a coach for unsportsmanlike conduct or even disqualify him with the desire to deescalate and pick our battles. When it matters, then act accordingly.
Since the sideline warning isn’t valid here, we really have two options: keep working with the coach, or flag him for unsportsmanlike conduct. The question is, is this the hill you’re willing to die on?
I’m not a fan of flags used to “make a point.” Our job is to manage the game, and that includes showing restraint when we run into conflicts such as this.
I’m a very high “J” on the Myers-Briggs scale, so I understand the desire for order and compliance. But as football officials, our positional authority can’t become a license to compel coaches and players to toe the line “or else.” When a coach doesn’t respond exactly how we want, or when a teenage player defiantly ignores us, we can’t take it personally. Our job demands composure. We have to balance the ability to flag a coach for unsportsmanlike conduct—or even disqualify him—with the wisdom to de-escalate and pick our battles. When it truly matters, act decisively. When it doesn’t, manage it and move on.
I’d rather see the linesman turn his focus back to the play and ignore the coach’s stubborn behavior—unless it directly interferes with our actions. If there’s a turnover and the coach gets in the way, then you’ve got a clear, rule-based reason for the flag.
2 – The next two clips highlight the importance of showing urgency when the ball is downed near the line to gain.
In this first clip, the line to gain is 10 yards away, so the wings don’t need to sprint to the B-49 right away—but they do need to visually and mentally lock in on that yard line before the snap.
Both wings move well with the ball. Again, we don’t expect them to be at the B-49 before the ball arrives, so there’s always going to be a small element of judgment when we don’t have eyes directly on the forward progress spot.
What happens next, though, is essential. Once the runner is down, both wings need to stop the clock and pinch to the ball. The linesman should move in until he meets resistance, ask for the ball, and spot it. This shows confidence in the spot.
If he believes the ball is short, spot it short and tell the referee: “This is short—second down.” If he believes it’s beyond the line to gain, spot it beyond the line and say, “First down—we’re moving.” If he’s uncertain, spot it and tell the referee, “You’ll need to take a look.”
In this clip, neither wing pinches in. That’s too close a play to simply square off and let the umpire spot the ball.
The linesman’s back is to the chains and it’s clear he wasn’t aware of the line to gain before the snap. Since he doesn’t know the location of the line to gain, he shouldn’t look back at the chains; he should key off the opposite wing’s actions. The line judge has the advantage of facing the chains. He should signal stop-the-clock, then move decisively toward the ball. That visual cue creates urgency for the linesman to mirror.
3 – It’s fourth down and 2-1/2 yards to go. The line to gain is even more important than in the previous clip. At the snap, both wings need to move immediately to the A-48 to rule on that important money line.
It appears A7 catches the ball short of the line to gain. The line judge has correctly advanced to the A-48 to accurately view the location of the ball when the runner is downed. The line judge should square off and pinch to the ball while giving the stop-clock signal.
Only the referee gives the stop the clock signal, and then the back judge joins him. The line judge doesn’t stop the clock and drifts casually toward the hash marks with the ball, about half a yard off his initial line. That movement, though small, gives the appearance of uncertainty—especially when the play is this close to the line to gain.
The optics matter. If we move with purpose and energy, it looks confident and sells the ruling. Showing urgency helps add to the credibility of the important spot.
Even when the call is correct, the way we move and signal determines how believable it appears.
4 – Here’s another important mechanics point. Wings should not be too quick to move downfield when the runner moves toward their sideline.
A26 has not yet received the handoff, and the line judge is already moving downfield. The result? The line judge’s safety is now in jeopardy. He’s put himself directly in the path of multiple players. Also, the line judge loses his wide field of view when the pile ends up right on top of him.
I love how the referee and back judge hustle to the players. Every time players end up at the sideline area, especially between the 25-yard lines, we should have multiple officials present to provide proximity and voice.
Again, the line judge moves too quickly downfield and players end up at his feet.
The proper mechanic when the runner approaches the sideline is to remain at the line of scrimmage and be prepared to back up to maintain a cushion, rather than advancing downfield. When the runner is downed near the sideline, stop short of the forward-progress spot and keep your distance. Once players clear, then walk to the spot to mark forward progress.
5 – This is a nontypical scrimmage formation following a touchdown. This is not a kick try, so the umpire should be in his normal position and not under an upright.
A29 muffs the backward pass. The ball is not dead when it strikes the ground.
The line judge has not advanced to the pylon, so his eyes are not stationary at the goal line as the ball arrives.
It’s possible the runner wasn’t down but instead rolled over the defender. That’s a judgment call the covering official must make in real time, without the luxury of slow-motion replay.
The line judge rules the runner was downed short of the goal line. Having eyes at the goal line before the ball arrives is essential when the play is this close and gives credibility to the call.
The proper mechanic is NOT to give the “no good” signal. Instead, the line judge should mark forward progress short of the goal line. A loud, “short, short” or “no, no” helps communicate the ruling.
6 – As A88 comes to the line, he indicates to the line judge he will be in the backfield. A84 is a lineman in this formation. Rule 7-2-7 says the player in motion shall be at least 5 yards behind his line of scrimmage at the snap if he started from any position not clearly behind the line.
This is illegal motion and is a foul at the snap.
A35 is on the line of scrimmage. He then decides he wants to shift to the backfield, but he is not set for 1 second before the snap. This is an illegal shift and the line judge correctly flags the foul.
Hypothetically, if this was a designed passing play, A35 would be in the backfield to allow A17, the tight end, to be at the end of the line of scrimmage at the snap as an eligible receiver. This was a designed run, so A17’s pass eligibility was not an issue. A35’s movement was unnecessary and resulted in a foul.
7 – In previous videos, I’ve mentioned how the referee should be especially aware of the location of a defender’s helmet when he hits the quarterback following a pass or pitch. Defenders who contact the quarterback at full height may be guilty of illegal helmet contact.
The timing of the hit is fine, but the location of the B89’s helmet is not.
Here’s a clip from a few years ago to help illustrate the point. I’m the referee. Following the pass, the defender contacts the quarterback under the facemask with the crown of his helmet. As the quarterback moved toward me he said, “Man, that hurt.” I asked, “Did I miss contact to your head?” And he answered, “yes, he hit me right in the chin.”
As I’ve confessed, I need to improve my attention to detail in this area. Just something for referees to look for.
8 – Rule 9-4-3c says it is illegal personal contact to pile on any player who is lying on the ground. I like this flag. The defender took three or four steps before landing on the quarterback. A7 clearly had possession of the ball; the ball was not loose.
Let’s look at another variable in this play. At the snap, the line judge threw a flag for an illegal formation. A13 and A84 are in the backfield. A88 appears to be in the backfield, but the formation dictates he be on the line. This is an example of “make the formation legal.” Don’t yell to A88 to move up, because that may result in a false start. Don’t be technical on an offensive player who is a wide receiver or slot back in determining if they are off or on the line of scrimmage.
Team B’s coach declined the penalty for the illegal formation foul to take the result of the play. The down counted. B57’s foul is a dead ball foul, so enforcement was half the distance from the succeeding spot, the B-22.
Team B’s coach wanted the fouls to offset, but live-ball and dead-ball fouls will not offset. That’s in Rule 10-2-5b
9 – What would a Weekly Dozen video be without a blindside block clip?
Great job by the umpire watching players other than the runner. This could also be detected by the line judge. The punch line? Let’s have only one set of eyes on the ball. Everyone else should be looking elsewhere. It’s a hard habit to develop, but it’s essential to good officiating.
10 – Here’s another good get, this time by the back judge. The formation is balanced, so the linesman’s passing play initial responsibility is A24, the player in motion. The back judge has the two outside players on the linesman’s side.
You may have heard the saying, “When you’re beat, you’ll cheat.” B22 is juked, and he desperately reaches out to contact A1 as he passes.
The timing of the foul is interesting. If the contact occurs prior to A7 releasing the ball, it’s illegal use of hands. If the contact occurs after the ball is in flight, it’s defensive pass interference. This is hard to tell, so either choice is acceptable.
That’s your weekly dozen for games through November 1st, 2025. Thanks for watching!