You may have heard the saying, “Smooth is fast.” This saying means performing tasks with calm, controlled movements is ultimately quicker and more efficient than rushing and making mistakes. Smooth, deliberate actions allow for better precision and consistency, which leads to faster results in the long run.
However, you may have observed officials who are so casual, they appear lethargic, lazy, unmotivated, or disinterested. Lazy officials that “mosey” are easily noticeable on video.
Sometimes we need to hustle, and we can still be smooth and deliberate while moving at top speed.
- If the runner is advancing downfield between the hash marks (the runner is not angling toward the sideline), wings must remain relatively even with the runner to accurately mark forward progress (don’t stroll down the sideline and arrive at the spot multiple seconds after the runner is downed)
- Wings must be at the line to gain or goal line (if the goal line is their responsibility) and be still when the runner arrives
- Wings must stay connected to their passing keys (receivers) when they move far downfield
- The Colorado mechanics manual says, “On a passing play, the wing officials must follow receivers downfield. There is no need to release downfield quickly. The wing can allow the receiver to go 10 yards downfield before he needs to follow. The wing should strive to be within 10 yards of the spot of a catch on his side of the field.”
- When the ball is in the air, the back judge and wings need to sprint to close the distance between themselves and receivers/defenders
- Remain at least 10 yards away when the ball arrives. You don’t want to get too close and severely limit your field of view
- Wings need to hustle downfield after a punt (half the distance from the line of scrimmage to the end of the kick) to officiate Team K and Team R matchups ahead of the ball
- If a free kick goes deep, the upfield officials (BJ and LJ on a 5-person crew) need to “move with intent” toward Team R’s goal line while watching their keys
- Wings need to sprint to follow a runner racing down the sideline
- When the play goes to the opposite side, referees should hustle across the field to stay connected with the runner
We don’t want to appear frantic or panicked. We also don’t want to appear lazy or unmotivated. We want to strike a balance between the two extremes. Move under control with energy. We don’t want to walk when we should be trotting or trot when we should be sprinting.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer(s). (Choose all that apply.)
Following a safety, K’s free kick goes out of bounds on the R-20. If R declines to have K rekick, from which yard line will R next snap the ball?
- R-20
- R-25
- R-35
- K-45
Review Rule 6-1-9