Avoid an Inadvertent Whistle During a Kick

I’ll never forget my first inadvertent whistle. My mistake was during a first-round playoff game. I was the “youngster” on a crew of veteran officials, so I was excited and honored to join them.

One team habitually pooched their kickoffs, kicking the ball high and short to an open area in an attempt to recover the kick. I was the Head Linesman and was positioned on the 30-yard line. As the ball reached its apex, a receiving team player in the middle of the formation sprinted forward in a mad dash to reach the kick before it hit the ground. As he ran, he furiously waved for a fair catch. I could see a line of players from the kicking team bearing down on the lone receiver with blood in their eyes. There would be one heck of a collision if the receivers didn’t hold up. I blew my whistle as the ball arrived, hoping to protect the receiver from getting blasted. Of course, the receiver muffed the kick, the ball bounded free…and I had blown the play dead! By God’s grace, the receiving team recovered the ball. By rule, we had to re-kick the ball. My mistake didn’t determine the game’s outcome, but I felt like a dummy when we had to line up again for another free kick because of my blunder.

Ray Lutz stated, “It is not the whistle that gives protection on a fair catch; it is the signal. Don’t be in a hurry to sound the whistle. Make sure the catch is made!”

I will add: Take an extra second to blow the whistle when a player possesses the ball following a scrimmage or free kick. Many inadvertent whistles are from back judges (5-person crew) or wing officials (3- and 4-person crew) when they are too hasty to blow the whistle to protect the receiver.


Quiz

Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer(s). (Choose all that apply.)

3/5 from the A-40. Team A calls timeout, and the 11 Team A players come to the sideline (outside the 9-yard mark) for a conference. The 11 players remain on the sideline until after the referee’s ready-for-play. All 11 players then move inside the 9-yard mark. A19 turns, heads toward the sideline, and stops inbounds 1-foot from the sideline. At the snap, he runs downfield and catches a touchdown pass.

  1. Team A is guilty of an illegal formation
  2. A19 is guilty of illegal participation
  3. A19 is guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct
  4. A19 has not fouled and the score stands

Review Rules 7-2-1 and 9-6-4

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