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 a flag based on how “bad” it looks. If we do that, we are wrong.
Consider the block below the waist. By rule (2-4-7), blocking below the waist is making initial contact below the waist from the front or side. If a blocker makes initial contact above the waist, maintains contact, and the block then moves to below the waist, it is not a foul. If the official sees only the end of the play (contact below the waist), he should not throw a flag.
The block in the back is similar. By rule (2-5-2) blocking in the back is a block against an opponent when the initial contact is in the opponent’s back, inside the shoulders and below the helmet and above the waist. If the blocker makes initial contact from the front or side and his opponent turns and the blocker maintains contact and continues the block in the back, it is not a foul. If the official only sees the end of the play (contact in the back), he should not throw a flag.
I’ve witnessed players go flying like ragdolls (with an opponent close by) and held my flag because I didn’t see the beginning of the block. After viewing the play on Hudl, I discovered a teammate had caused the collision. If I had simply thrown my flag based on the appearance of a foul, I’d be incorrect.
We can’t assume a foul occurred. If we “think” a foul happened, it didn’t happen. We must KNOW the foul occurred. We must see the entire play and know beyond a shadow of a doubt there was a foul.
Does that mean we’ll miss “obvious” fouls? Absolutely! In Colorado, we use 5-person mechanics. That’s five sets of eyeballs looking at 22 players. We can’t provide the same quality of coverage to every area of the field. We will occasionally miss a foul because we’ve shifted our gaze to a different matchup.
If a coach complains because he believes we missed a foul, we should not say “That’s not my call” or “I can’t look everywhere all the time” or “that’s the umpire’s look.” No excuses…
We can say, “Coach, I shifted my attention to the receiver downfield. If that’s what happened, I missed it.” Or we can say, “Coach, I didn’t see the whole play. I didn’t see how the block started, so I can’t rule if that block was legal.”
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer(s).
3/5 from the B-10. B30 realizes he is the twelfth player on the field and runs out of bounds on his sideline. He then begins to run to his team box. He is out of bounds at the B-20 when the ball is snapped.
- B30 is guilty of illegal substitution
- No foul
Review Rule 4-7-2