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,…
Ready For Play
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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…
Get it Right!
Sometimes we freeze, brain-fart, head up and lock, swallow our whistle, or panic. We make the wrong call. It happens. How we react when we snap out of it and refocus is…