Welcome to Art of Officiating’s “Weekly Dozen”, comprising plays through October 18, 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 – The defenseless player rule is still “relatively” new, so I like to occasionally share clips that feature this concept. Rule 2-32 is Player Designations, and Article 16 describes a defenseless player as a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury. The article goes on to say a player who initiates contact against a defenseless player is responsible for making legal contact. Rule 2-32-16b identifies a receiver attempting to catch a pass as a defenseless player.
Rule 9-4-3p says it is illegal personal contact against a defenseless player as in 2-32-16b that is not: incidental contact as a result of making a play on the ball, initiated with open hands, or an attempt to tackle by wrapping arms around the receiver.
Defenders can no longer deliver a blow to attempt to break up a pass. The head linesman correctly flags this as illegal personal contact.
The linesman throws a second flag when another defender yells, “That’s BS!”
Notice we have six coaches on the field, all voicing their displeasure with the flag. I confess, it’s sometimes hard to not turn to coaches and say something sarcastic like, “Do you not even read the rules book?”
The penalty for the personal foul was enforced 15 yards from the previous spot, and then 15 more yards were marched off for the unsportsmanlike conduct.
I want to quickly address sideline management, using this clip and the following clip. Rule 9-8 is noncontact unsportsmanlike conduct by nonplayers. 9-8-1 says it is unsportsmanlike conduct to attempt to influence a decision by a game official, disrespectfully address a game official, or indicate objections to a game official’s decision. Let’s look at the next clip to add to this topic.
2 – This game has gone down to the wire. The visiting team is down by 4 points, and it is third and goal from the B-1 with 39 seconds on the clock.
Notice the head coach is on the B-20, outside the team box, and he begins to complain about something at the snap. I later learned the coach wanted a helping the runner flag on this play. The timing of his objection, and the reason for his objection seem incongruent, but I don’t know the full story, so I’ll leave it at that.
What I don’t like, is he’s now on the field at the B-12. He doesn’t get to stand there and yell at the officials.
We want the line judge to dead-ball officiate and watch the players separate, but then he needs to turn to the coach and politely but firmly escort him back to the team box.
There will be games when the coaching staff is vocal and animated for four quarters. Wing officials must stay engaged and professional, keeping coaches off the field and maintaining control of the sideline. If the coach is inclined to complain on multiple plays, the wing can ask, “Coach, what is your concern,” or “Coach, do you have a question?” If the coach doesn’t have a question but continues to object to the officiating crew’s decisions, give a clear warning if the behavior becomes excessive, and if it continues after the warning, penalize it as unsportsmanlike conduct.
3 – Do you remember the clip from two weeks ago, where the line judge missed a blindside block in a game, and then specifically told me he wanted me to include that play in a Weekly Dozen video?
Here’s the same line judge.
Colors moving back toward the ball faster than everyone else should grab our attention. In this play, the line judge didn’t focus on the ball but instead stayed with the players behind it—and correctly flagged the blindside block.
4 – Here’s another blindside block, but this time it was missed. The ball is on the B-3.
I like the referee’s width, but he needs to be deeper, 12-15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. We’ll see why shortly.
On the snap, the linesman immediately moves to the goal line. That’s perfect.
When the quarterback reverses field, we want the referee to backpedal, not turn his torso and look over his shoulder at the players. If the referee had started deeper, he could backpedal and stay focused on the action in front of him.
When we see colors moving against the flow, we need to think blindside block. This probably should be the umpire’s look as the line judge is hopefully focused on his passing play keys. As I’ve said before, if coaches would teach players to block with open hands instead of delivering a shoulder blow, we’d see far fewer blindside block flags.
The formation strength is to the LJ side. The back judge’s passing play initial responsibility is A87. He does not appear to look at his key until 2-3 seconds after the snap.
A7 throws a pass to a receiver for a touchdown. I’d like to see the head linesman set up a little deeper from the pylon along the goal line to provide more cushion, but overall he’s in good position to rule on the catch.
5 – I want to show three passing play clips with three separate fouls; only one of the three was flagged. By the way, in this stadium, the home team likes to take the chains side; that’s why you see them with the linesman. The line judge reported the visiting team coaches were instructing their players to “reroute” the receivers. They thought this was legal.
Rule 9-2-3d states that a defensive player may not contact an eligible receiver who is no longer a potential blocker. The intent of this rule is to allow a defender to initiate contact with a receiver before a pass is thrown only if that receiver could reasonably be approaching to block on a running play.
In all three of the following plays, the defender clearly moves toward the offensive receiver and initiates contact even though there is no indication the receiver intends to block.
The two outside players on the linesman’s side are the back judge’s passing play initial responsibilities. This is clearly defensive pass interference as the contact takes place with a pass in the air. This was not flagged.
The formation is balanced, so the linesman has the two outside players on his side. This is a blindside block that could also be flagged as targeting. Rule 2-20-2 says targeting is an act by any player who takes aim and initiates contact against an opponent above the shoulders with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow, or shoulders. This contact was not flagged.
This formation is similar to the first clip. Trips right. The linesman has initial responsibility for the inside receiver on his side. A83 is on the same relative yardline as B30 and is not a potential blocker. B30’s contact is illegal use of hands.
A12 does not have to pass the ball for this to be a foul. Penalty enforcement is 10 yards from the end of the run as A12 went out of bounds beyond the line of scrimmage.
Notice how the referee hustles to get out of bounds to help escort players back onto the field of play. The linesman should face out of bounds and not face onto the field as he marks forward progress.
There is no provision in the rules book for rerouting receivers during a passing play. Team B players can only contact an eligible receiver if he is a potential blocker.
6 – Sometimes, a play catches us off guard because it doesn’t fit what we’d expect based on down, distance, or field position; or because a player panics and does something unexpected.
It’s fourth and 10 from the K-10. The referee is responsible for the goal line and the end line. The snap will most likely force the ball into Team K’s end zone, so he must be prepared to rule on the ball’s location if the kicker is downed.
We see slight movement from the right tackle that is not flagged.
The line judge moves downfield at the snap, but he must focus on the gunners and not look back at the kicker. The linesman must focus on the gunner on his side.
Under a heavy rush, the would-be-kicker panics and throws the ball downfield.
B33 doesn’t know the ball was passed and not kicked, so he’s blocking his opponent as he moves downfield. Before the ball is released, the blocking is legal as the Team A player is a potential blocker.
Show of hands…how many would rule this is defensive pass interference? There are two ways to think about this play:
Is this defensive pass interference because B33 interferes with an eligible opponent’s opportunity to move toward the pass?
Or, do we keep our flag in our pocket because it appears the Team A player has no idea the ball was thrown and not kicked, and was not looking to catch a pass?
I could advocate for either answer. It’s important to understand the intent of a rule. I could keep the flag in my pocket because the intent of Rule 7-5-10 is to limit defenders during a passing play. B33 did not interfere with the Team A player’s opportunity to move toward the ball because the Team A player was not attempting to move toward the ball; he was attempting to move down the field to make a tackle.
But if I’m an absolutist, I could justify throwing the flag because the action meets the literal standard of the rule.
I’m honestly torn on this clip. I can see valid arguments from both perspectives, and I could comfortably advocate for either ruling. I’ve shared this play with several trusted veteran officials, and the responses were split. It’s one of those situations that forces us to ask: Do we go strictly by the letter of the rule, or do we lean toward the spirit of the rule?
If Team A’s coach complained about the lack of a defensive pass interference flag, how would I respond? I might try, “Coach, your receiver never looked back toward the ball or made an effort to move toward the ball—he didn’t even recognize it was a pass.” But here’s the real question: I can’t read the player’s mind, so do I rule based on what I think his intent was, or do I judge strictly by what the rules define and what I can clearly observe?
7 – In previous videos, we’ve shown how certain plays test the limits of what a five-person crew can effectively cover. This clip demonstrates the requirement to quickly shift from a presnap key, to initial blocks at the point of attack, to blocks farther downfield as the play develops, and then finally to the runner as he is tackled or goes out of bounds.
The formation is balanced, so the strength is to the line judge’s side on the right of the screen. As soon as the back judge reads “run,” he needs to shift his focus to the point of attack, which will be to the left of the screen.
I’d like to see the umpire set up closer to the middle of the field so he can equally respond to plays to each side of the field. Right now, his look at the blockers ahead of the runner is partially obstructed. If he sets up in this position, he needs to be ready to hustle toward the visiting team’s sideline to have line-of-sight to the blockers ahead of the runner.
That’s demonstrated restriction at the point of attack that impacted B1’s ability to reach the runner.
This block is the linesman’s responsibility. The wings need to resist the temptation to focus on the runner, or even the closest block, but instead look ahead of the runner to the point of attack.
I like how the linesman backs up and allows the runner to pass. He then steps to the forward progress spot while facing the players out of bounds.
The referee hustled to the linesman’s side to provide proximity. I’d like to see the same from the umpire and back judge, especially the back judge. As the play moves to the sideline, the back judge should move closer to the hash to close down on the players, and when the players go out of bounds, the back judge must sprint to the sideline to help the players separate, especially since we have home team players in the visiting team’s box.
8 – In this clip, we’ll evaluate the contact on the quarterback after he passes the ball.
I’d like to see the umpire take one step backward. Umpires should never line up beside a defensive player. If the ball goes to the line judge’s side, the umpire will be in the way of B2.
The linesman should stay on the line of scrimmage. There is no reason to drift downfield, especially as his key is on the A-19.
Now onto the contact.
First, the referee must stay locked on the quarterback after the release instead of immediately shifting his gaze to A15. The linesman already has that responsibility—trust him to do his job. The referee has shifted his focus away from the quarterback before he’s landed on the ground.
Second, the timing of the contact is acceptable. The defender takes one step and contacts the quarterback just after the release. Another key question to ask: Was the contact delivered above the shoulders? Too often, we see defenders strike quarterbacks while they’re still at full height instead of lowering their target zone. If the defender strikes the quarterback above the shoulders, it’s a foul for roughing the passer.
9 – This is an 8-man game from “out east.” The field is 100 yards long, but 40 feet narrower than the 11-man field. Also, in 8-man football, only 3 players can legally be in the backfield at the snap.
A16 approaches the line and gives the “thumbs up” signal as if to say, “am I okay?” Well I don’t know if you’re okay. I don’t know where you want to be, on the line or in the backfield. If you see a thumbs-up signal, loudly declare, “16, you’re on the line!”
Notice A30 has indicated to the linesman he wants to be in the backfield, and the linesman punches back.
The line judge points down the line. I don’t know if he told A16 to move back, or if A16 looked back at the ball and decided he was in the neutral zone. If you are a wing and the outside player has his foot or helmet a few inches into the neutral zone, indicate the location of the line, but don’t verbally compel him to move back.
A16 repositions himself as A1 begins his motion. This is now an illegal shift, which is a live ball foul at the snap. This was not flagged.
The line judge correctly stops the clock after the runner is downed beyond the line to gain. Give a visible “first down” signal to the referee by pointing a finger at chest level toward Team B’s goal line.
10 – I want to highlight a few issues about the crew’s ready-for-play mechanics before two plays that were originally thought to be scrimmage kicks.
In this first clip, Team A is not lining up in a scrimmage kick formation. Anticipating a kick try, the linesman is running to the uprights and the referee is on the linesman’s side of the field. The referee then recognizes the formation and points to the pylon for the linesman to return to the line of scrimmage. I think he recognizes the pylon is uncovered, so he reverses field to return to the linesman’s side. As he moves, he gives the ready-for-play signal.
Why are we in a rush? The try is an untimed down. Stop, move the linesman back to his position, move to the correct position on the throwing arm side of the quarterback, take a breath, and then blow the ready for play.
The linesman is not in position to observe his presnap or postsnap keys. He’s not stationary on the goal line when the receiver catches the pass. The optics were not good on this play.
In this second clip, we’re back to the 8-man game. Again, the crew has initially set up for a scrimmage kick on fourth down following a timeout. Recognizing there is not a tee on the field and Team A is lining up in a normal scrimmage formation, the line judge races back to his position on the line of scrimmage and the referee moves to the arm side of the quarterback.
Notice the referee has his arm in the air. He has not yet blown the ready for play. However, the umpire begins to back away from the ball. As a reminder, if you are an umpire, remain over the ball until the referee pushes you off the ball.
Team A obviously doesn’t know the referee has not blown the ready for play because they snap the ball. The referee whistles the play dead, and decides to throw a flag for delay of game.
Rule 3-6-2d says it is delay of game to snap or free kick the ball before it is ready for play.
Because this is a crew error, I would prefer the referee not throw a flag for delay, but instead reposition the teams and then blow the ready for play. Instead of fourth and 2, it is now fourth and 7.
The visiting team will bring the kicking team onto the field to attempt a field goal. The kick failed.
This demonstrates how a simple mechanic error, the umpire backing away from the ball before the ready for play whistle, can impact the game.
11 – In this clip, we’ll discuss the umpire’s eye discipline. I like how he backs away from the ball. This gives him a few more seconds to get his bearings and perform his presnap routine.
Now for the eye discipline discussion. As soon as A17 throws a short pass, the umpire must pivot and help with catch/no catch. If the pass was far downfield, the umpire could remain focused on the linemen.
Now we have both a runner and a lead blocker. The umpire’s focus should no longer be on players behind the ball. He must shift his attention to the action developing downfield. This is the same progression concept we discussed in clip 7 with A18’s hold on the edge—the umpire must transition from monitoring interior linemen to observing blockers ahead of the runner.
I like his hustle to the forward progress area. He’s not walking. We don’t want umpires to walk to the ball.
12 – Let’s finish this week’s video with a few clips that demonstrate solid goal line wing mechanics. This is what right looks like.
The ball is snapped from the B-8. The wing will not immediately advance to the goal line at the snap, but will work to beat the ball to the goal line.
Notice how the linesman retreats to the goal line while backing away from the pylon. We never want to get caught in the pile or rolled up by players. Also note how he’s moved the goal line marker well back from the sideline, giving himself extra space to work and back up safely.
Here’s the next clip in the sequence. The ball is snapped from the B-3. This time, the linesman immediately moves to the goal line.
The runner is downed short of the goal line, and the linesman aggressively pinches toward the spot. This movement visually affirms his confidence in the ruling. Wings should never remain planted on the sideline in these situations; this kind of energy demonstrates the official had a clear look at the ball. A strong verbal cue—“He’s short!”—adds clarity.
Fast forward to fourth down and goal from the one yard line. Both wings pinch to the ball, and they are physically in the field of play to indicate the ball did not cross the goal line. I’m also impressed that four of the five officials on the field are giving the stop the clock signal.
The linesman will ask for the ball and spot it short of the goal line. We don’t want the umpire to spot the ball here.
That’s your weekly dozen for games through October 18, 2025. Thanks for watching!