Braveheart, with Mel Gibson as William Wallace, is one of my favorite movies. One of the most gripping scenes comes when the English and Scottish forces sprint toward each other and collide in the middle of the battlefield. Bodies go flying, and in an instant, it’s hard to tell friend from foe.
Football has its own version of that mayhem—a free kick. Players are initially separated by several yards, giving the kicking team time to build up speed before crashing into blockers. The result is a violent, messy collision where it’s difficult to maintain clarity.
Here are some mechanics ideas to help officials bring order to the chaos.
Focus on your keys
Every official has an assigned group of players on whom to focus. It doesn’t work to randomly try to pick out players to watch. If you don’t have a specific assignment, you’ll be drawn to watching the football.
In a five-person crew, the wings have the outside four Team K players, the back judge has the middle three (one of which will always be the kicker), the umpire has the wedge, and the referee has the receiver. If upfield officials focus solely on the ball or the receiver catching it, they risk missing crucial action involving their assigned players.
Focus on Team R players before contact
As the Team K players reach the Team R blockers, the officials should quickly shift focus to the Team R players who will execute the blocks. This is like a basketball official who shifts focus to the defender as the dribbler arrives to rule on block/charge. It’s true Team K players may foul during free kick plays, but Team R players commit most free kick fouls (holding, blocking below the waist, blindside blocks, blocking in the back).
Keep a cushion from your crewmate
The back judge (starting at the K-40) and the line judge at midfield should retreat no more than 10–15 yards downfield as the free kick is in the air. As the return develops, the spacing between officials becomes critical. On the chains side, the back judge and head linesman must maintain a cushion; on the press box side, the line judge and umpire need the same awareness. You don’t want to end a play with two officials standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Use the pregame to decide who will mark forward progress when the runner is downed. The other official should maintain a 10–15 yard cushion to visually bracket the players.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer. (Choose all that apply.)
4/5 from the K-30. While the scrimmage kick is in the air, R34 holds K66 at the K-45. R12 catches the kick at the R-40. K80 tackles R12 by the facemask at midfield.
- The penalties MUST offset, replay fourth down
- The penalties MAY offset with a replay of fourth down
- Both fouls will be enforced in the order of occurrence
- Team R must decline K80’s foul to next snap the ball
- Enforce the penalty for R34’s foul from the K-45 (spot of the foul)
Review Rules 2-16h, 10-2-1c, 10-2-3, and 10-4-3