See the Whole Play
Beginning, Middle, and End We need to see the whole play (beginning, middle, and end) to determine if a player fouled. Sometimes we’ll only see the end of the play and throw…
Ready For Play
Read MoreSee the Whole Play
Look for Reasons to NOT Throw the Flag
Officiating is not black-and-white. There are multiple shades of gray. There is a science to officiating (the rules book and mechanics manual) and there is an art to officiating (judgment). This website…
Take an Inventory
If my math is correct (and the internet gremlins don’t strike), this Ready for Play article will be published on August 8, 2024. Our association’s first varsity game in Colorado is August…
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…
Getting Plays Right
Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from August 16, 2011 (Edited for clarity and rule changes) Here is a partial list of some plays crews have screwed up or were…
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…
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…