Rules Precede Judgment
We all need to work to be rules experts. We can’t just walk onto the field and officiate “by feel.” Rules precede judgment; how can we make a judgment call if we…
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If You Make an Issue Out of It, It Will be an Issue
Officiating is a human endeavor, and we all have different philosophies, opinions, and judgments. Some officials (me included) have a high sense of justice. My “J” is very high on the Meyers-Briggs…
When is a Body Slam Unnecessary Roughness?
This paragraph appeared in a September weekly Colorado high school football coaches bulletin: “Unnecessary roughness is a judgment call. The best thing players can do is avoid putting the officials in a…
First Touching of a Scrimmage Kick
Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from October 18, 2007 (Edited and amplified for clarity) Word came this morning from Iowa where last weekend K punted. R did not field…
Injury Timeout
Rule 3-5-10a says, “An official’s time-out (which is not charged to either team) occurs, and the player shall be replaced for at least one down, unless halftime intermission or an overtime intermission…
Illegal Blindside Block
Many years ago, ESPN featured a “Jacked Up” segment when the announcers celebrated massive hits, many of which were in the open field. This statement is not based on empirical evidence, but…
Illegal Blocking in the Back
I believe blocking in the back is the foul most often incorrectly flagged. Officials see a block with open hands originating from the side“ish,” and throw a flag. Rule 2-5-2 says, “Blocking…
Facemask Foul
Sometimes, coaches see a runner’s head jerk to the side and yell for a facemask flag. It’s important to understand the facemask foul rule, as not all contact to a player’s helmet…