Double Action
Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from September 9, 2009 (Edited for clarity) Forward progress is the number one job of wing officials. Last evening at our crew meeting, a…
Ready For Play
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Lines and Crimes
Before I retired, I worked for a boss who was possibly the best supervisor I’ve worked under in 43 years of drawing a paycheck. He told the company’s employees, “There are lines,…
Wing Official Pre-snap Routine
You’ll hear veteran officials talk about developing a pre-snap routine. Wing officials should progress through the same sequence of events before every snap. The pre-snap routine begins when a play ends (the…
Why Were You Looking Over There?
Occasionally, I will share a play in which I made a mistake. This is a “fun” story to tell 15 years later, but it wasn’t fun for my crewmate at the time.…
Watch NCAA Football Games to Improve
After I started officiating football, my viewing of college football games significantly changed. Instead of focusing on the players, I started keying on the officials and performing pre-snap routines in my head.…
Debriefing a Crewmate
I have been in situations where an official immediately confronted a peer about a judgment call or action as soon as the crew entered the dressing room at halftime or the end…
Be Courageous!
Personal confession time from a few games in my 17 years of officiating: I’m sure if I spent more time, I would remember more examples of when I decided to take the…
When the Coach Believes our Partner Made a Mistake
This article is primarily for wing officials interacting with the sideline coaches. How do we respond when a coach complains about a partner’s decision? You are the guardian of the sideline. Do…