Ants, Elephants, and Greyhounds
Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from August 15, 2010 (edited for clarity). There is an old officiating maxim that says, “Don’t flag ants; always flag elephants, and never make…
Ready For Play
Read MoreAnts, Elephants, and Greyhounds
Wing Imperatives
I watch many high school football plays on Hudl during the week and often see the same wing mechanics mistakes from numerous wing officials. Here are the top five: Eye Discipline during…
Counting
Counting players is one of the most essential pre-snap routine components. We need to verify the correct number of players are on the field at the snap. Here are a few counting…
Preventative officiating
Preventative officiating involves communicating essential information to players and coaches to help facilitate the game. Sharing critical information with coaches helps them understand game nuances and removes communication barriers. It helps ensure…
Penalty Enforcement (Special Enforcement Rules)
We devoted the last seven days to examining Rule 10-4 articles. Let’s conclude our penalty enforcement “series” by unpacking Rule 10-5. These fouls have special enforcement provisions and options for the offended…
Penalty Enforcement (20-Yard Line and Goal Line)
The Rule 10-4-7 (20-yard line penalty enforcement) and 10-4-8 (goal line penalty enforcement) articles contain multiple components and the corresponding plays rarely occur on the field. As such, we may be tempted…
Penalty Enforcement (End of the Run or Related Run) (Rule 10-4-6)
Rules 10-2-2d through 10-2-2g identify the penalty enforcement basic spot as the previous spot when fouls occur behind the line of scrimmage and/or when the run or related run ends behind the…
Penalty Enforcement (Succeeding Spot)
Rule 2-41-10 says, “The succeeding spot is where the ball would next be snapped or free-kicked if a foul had not occurred. When a foul occurs during a down in which a…