AuthorOrganizing member of iCanReferee & Head Offiicial of Friday Night Lights flag football league. Over 12 years experience with youth flag & tackle football. Major responsibilities are education, on-field training, game assignments, rules interpretation & expanding the organization. Archives
February 2020
Categories |
Back to Blog
WEEk#9 in reveiw11/8/2018 Guys & Gals it is Playoff's Week and we need to be on our "A game." Please review the "Know The Rules?" blog posts and send me any questions you have. This season has shaped up to be a great one at both Murrieta and Temecula and the teams are vying to win it all, so let's make sure we hustle and are in the right spots to make the correct calls. That said we have a couple of reminders to improve upon before the season is over.
First It has been mentioned in past posts, but needs to be brought up again we need to be placing markers on both the rush line and LOS. It is not just you as a ref who needs to be aware of the lines but the players and coaches do too. It is not fair to tell a quarterback that they threw an illegal forward pass when you don't have the marker on the LOS to show them how far they can run before throwing the ball. Also it is very hard to argue that a player committed an illegal rush or illegal forward pass when I see the video and their are no markers signifying the spot on the ground. Please don't make me have to tell you on the field as this is something we all need to be doing no matter how much experience we have refereeing. Second This rule is similar to the first one in that as the offensive referee you must signal the Ready-for-Play whistle. Once you have both markers set and the ball placed at the LOS marker hack and blow you whistle. The Ready-for-Play whistle starts the 30 second play clock for each offensive play. It is hard to penalize a team for delay of game when you never whistled to signal the start of the play clock. It is your job to make sure both markers are set and the ball is placed correctly and both officials are ready before blowing the Ready-for-Play whistle. Again if a team violates the delay of game the first time it is a warning, afterward any additional penalties for delay of game will be loss of down + yardage. Remember some teams take advantage of you not blowing the whistle as a tactic to keep the opposing team from having the ball, so let's be fair and make sure we are the one's controlling the start of every play. Third Please remember to have thick skin and ignore comments that don't need to be answered. When a coach complains let them, but if those complaints go beyond what is acceptable it is your job to tell the coach that it is enough and warn them they will receive a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct if they continue. However, with that said if a coach blatantly says something that is not tolerated, whether it is a threat, foul language or anything personal in nature, you have every right to flag them on the first occurrence and/or eject them if it is warranted. Please know that any ejection must be followed up in writing to me within 24 hours of the end of the game and you will need to explain the whole situation. Also remember everyone is recording you so no matter what a coach, player or fan does your job is to be professional and respond respectfully. Playoffs is always intense as fans, players and coaches want to win, so have some thick skin, but also take charge and control of your game from the start of your pregame talks with the coaches. If you do these things mentioned above you will set yourself and your game up for success.
Back to Blog
Week#5 In Reveiw10/8/2018 I wanted to start off by saying we are getting better each and every week, although we have had some hiccups along the road, I believe the best is yet to come. But to be able to be the best we all must be on the same page so it is important that we read the messages I send out and blogs I post so that we are all in agreement of how we will implement and interpret the management & penalties of the game.
First We need to be reasonable in regards to throwing penalty flags, especially with the younger divisions. If we are noticing the same infraction being committed over and over again, instead of throwing a dozen penalty flags lets speak to the coach & explain that the player is committing a penalty by the way they ie. motion, snap the ball, leave early, etc. If the player is still committing the penalty, talk with the player calmly and explain what they need to be doing in order to not have a penalty called, such as watch the ball for movement don't just go on the quarterback's hike command. Most of these kids & some of the coaches are new to football and have no idea of the infraction they are committing, so a little explanation will go a long way in keeping the game fun and exciting for everyone. Trust me when you throw a half a dozen flags on the same team for the same penalty it's not going to be fun for you, the coaches, players or fans. So please be aware of the situation and try to help the coaches and teams before throwing flags. However this doesn't mean don't throw flags when you see a blatant and obvious penalty that affect the outcome of the game. What I am talking about is the small ticky-tacky penalties that can be avoided like false start, snap infraction, illegal shift or motion, etc. Also I expect that even if you call a penalty please take the time to explain why you called it and what you would like to see the player doing instead, to better help the game run more smoothly. Second As I have said from the beginning you should be rereading the rules manual which is linked at the bottom of the 2018 Fall Season page, as I have many people questioning me about the interpretation of the rules that a ref told them. We should all be trying to do our best as officials so please don't disregard the blogs, emails or texts that I send because time and time again I have had somebody ask me a direct question about a rule I answered clearly on the blog, which tells me that your not reading the information I am putting. Please know that I already know the rules so I'm writing this information down for your benefit, so take advantage of my knowledge of this league and its rule interpretations as they will help you during crucial times in the game. Third I will be in Murrieta for the remainder of the season to help that league with training and officiating issues. I understand this league is bigger which means it has more personalities in regards to teams, coaches and fans. So I will do my best to try to corral any issues as they arise, but please come and get me if you have any questions of the rules interpretations or rowdy coaches, teams and fans. I am here to help you and make the game flow more smoothly. With that said to replace me over at Temecula the Commissioner and I have decided to promote Bill Thomas as Head Field Official for the Temecula League. Bill will be your point of contact when you need rule interpretations, have questions or need assistance with coaches, players or fans. Please seek him out as he will be in charge of moving officials around from field to field to better manage all of the games during the evening, continued training and the authority on any ruling at Temecula. Please listen to him and give him the same respect you shown me as he is more than qualified to fill this position. I will still be available if you need to call, text or email me, so please feel free to reach out. Bill and I will also be meeting to try to amend some of the rules to give more clarity, but this doesn't mean we will be writing a 200 page rule book, remember whenever their is not a rule in our rules manual we will always default to the NFHS - National Federation of High School rules.
Back to Blog
Week #4 In Reveiw9/29/2018 Guys & Gals I'm am now spending time at both Murrieta and Temecula locations. I want to say that we are doing a great job of managing the games, however I have noticed that we are still needing to improve in minor areas. My expectations are that the senior crew members teach the rookies how to be a pro. Just a heads up, I am working on rotating officials back and forth from both locations to be fair to everyone working games. If you have questions please contact me & Let's keep up the good work.
First We need to make sure we are holding our ball spots. I noticed quite a few times in most everyone's games that we are not holding our spots and by not doing so we are inadvertently placing the ball short or giving more yardage to teams. I know we don't have lined fields so I'm not expecting perfection, but with 2 officials on the field whoever is closest to the spot needs to hold the spot while the other official helps to get the ball placed. Both officials need to work together to get the correct spot and maintain it, until the ball is placed and both LOS & blitz markers are placed on the ground. Let's not cheat the players out of what they worked so hard for & earned. This is especially important during OT as yardage can be the difference in winning or losing an overtime game, and again only Junior & Senior have OT games until we get to playoffs when all games will have OT if needed. Second We need to work on our communication, physically, vocally and when using our whistles. I have seen this way too often someone blows a whistle barely loud enough for the players to hear and they continue playing. You need to be able to signal your whistle loud enough that it stops the play from continuing, as bad things can happen if a play continues once you've blown it dead. Remember you still need to officiate even after the play is over as there are two parts to officiating, one is live ball officiating & the other is dead ball officiating and both are equally important to managing the game. When being more vocal i mean you need to announcing "no-run zone pass only", "timeout" and signal timeout & who called it, time warnings like "2min remaining" & signaling penalties like "illegal contact". I have heard from coaches, players & fans don't understand what is going on because the ref isn't signaling or explaining what is happening. Please be considerate & take time to announce what the situation is, whether turn over on down, interception, penalty, etc. We should be announcing these things loud enough for everyone to hear on both sidelines. Trust me when you communicate even if you have to over communicate, it helps your games run more smoothly and helps with calls because people hear the call and the explanation. We all watch football and when things happen we want to know whats going on and we would likely be upset if a penalty was called and we never saw a signal or heard the announcement of the penalty, but just the ref walking off the distance. You are the game manager and that means you're also the game communicator and people are expecting you to be professional and give them the information in a way we all are familiar with. I will be addressing these things as I monitor games, so please don't take offense at what I am saying I'm just trying to make your game easier and eliminate the problems before the arise. Third In games when coaches are on the field, once the play has started they need to be silent they cannot continue to coach. This presents an unfair advantage as coaches are much more familiar with the game and can see things the quarterback or other players are unaware of or have yet to see. What I mean is there is no quarterbacking of the offense or defense by a coach on the field, even though I have had 2 coaches tell me it's not in the rule book it doesn't matter, anything that obviously presents an unfair advantage to one team is an unsportsmanlike penalty. Please give them warnings before penalizing any coach, also they will likely want an explanation since its not in the rule book. We are not going to write a 100 page rule book for flag football. You just need to explain to the coach that while in the field of play he cannot affect the play once it starts whether physically or vocally because the coach has now become the 7 player on the field when he interferes and that is unsportsmanlike as it compromises the integrity of the game. I need players to develop not coaches, so please don't allow coaches to communicate with players during a live ball. Whether they tell players to rush, blitz, drop in coverage, throw the ball to Johnny, run the ball or hand it off to Billy, after the play has started it is illegal warn them and if they continue then flag them and explain the unsportsmanlike penalty. Let the coach know that if he wants to do communicate or direct players that he must do it from the sidelines and not when he is in the field of play as it directly impact the kids on the opposing team. If you still have problems with a coach direct them to me or another field director to explain the issue. Joysticking or quarterbacking of the play, while the coach is on the field and the play is live, is not allowed by coaches.
Back to Blog
Week#2 in review9/17/2018 Week 2 is now in the books and we are doing a great job. Thanks to all of you for getting your gear so quickly and for those that haven't I know you will have it soon. Please remember we are all here to help each other, so look out for each other and try to help each other in any way possible. Now this week focus will be on field ettiquette, what this means is how we carry ourselves, our attitudes and our actions on the field. You are all for the most part doing an exceptional job, but I have received some complaints so I wanted to make sure things are clear. As I have said in the past you are always being filmed and recorded, so please always act professionally.
First You are not to be on your phone while on the field, so please put them in your pocket, bag or leave them in your car. I have had a few comments already this season from coaches and fans that refs taking phone calls and/or looking down at their phones during a live ball play. This is unacceptable, as you are being paid to do a job and the expectation is that you give your full attention to the game and plays. If for any reason you need to take a phone call you need to wait until a break in the game and excuse yourself from the action. In the case of an emergency please wait till the end of the play, as each play only last seconds, then excuse yourself from the field of play and take the phone call, while the remaining ref can continue to officiate the game. I cannot stress enough that your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, son or daughter calling you to ask when your coming home or when to pick you up at the field or anything that is not dire in nature, qualifies as an emergency call. Again, please do abuse your position or use your phone for personal use while on the field or for managing the game clock (buy a watch). Second We are officials and as such are impartial managers of the game. Please refrain from anything that may appear as if you're favoring another team. I'm not saying you can't appreciate a great play or say nice catch, interception, etc. However, patting a player on the back or high fiving a player or any celebration act should not be done, as fans, players and coaches are watching and may interpret this as favortism. We are here to officiate a game and must stay impartial, as such we don't want people to have reason to accuse us of being unfair or bias towards their team and/or players. If you would like to congratulate a team or player please wait till the end of the game and do it in manner that respects the position you hold. Third We need to make sure that we are paying attention to the play and anything that happens after the play is over or inbetween plays. We have had a few players and teams doing celebrations after scores, interceptions or great plays. These celebration acts are not allowed and should be considered unsportsmanlike penalties for "taunting." I will leave the call up to each ref as to the severity of the infraction, but at a minimum the referee should be warning the player, players or coach that they are not allowed perform that celebration acts as they are considered a penalty for taunting. Some examples of "Taunting" are jumping chest or shoulder bumps, group celebration performances, spiking of the ball or running down the field with hands up displaying #1 sign. All these types of gestures or celebrations are not allowed, this is not the "NFL" and any celebration act that can be perceived as taunting another player or team is not allowed by rule. I'm not telling you that a team cannot celebrate a play, get excited and scream or yell, just make sure it is within normal reason and not a performance that can be seen by all the fans and players.
Back to Blog
Week#1 In Review9/9/2018 The first week is always a little rough as we get back into the swing of football, not only for us refs, but also for the coaches, players and fans too. Although we were missing quite a few refs out there this week, we managed to pull it off successfully. Congrats to all those who showed up and worked single man games and/or were moved around from field to field to cover for missing refs, we will get better, with that said we have a few things we need to focus on this upcoming week.
First Please make sure you are visiting this website often, as the games assignments & blog will be posted here the Sunday prior to Thursday and Friday night games. It is your responsibility to notify me ASAP and at least 24 hrs prior to the games, when you cannot show up for your game assignments. Any no call or no show will result in you being removed from all future game assignments until you speak with me and are cleared to be reassigned games. I know life happens and I am a very reasonable person so please don't make a habit of missing games assignments, I don't want to remove anyone from the 2018 Official Roster. Second With so many new faces out there I need the more experienced refs to help out with bringing the rookies up to speed. I want to stress please follow the mechanics posted on the website under the 2018 Fall Season page. That means both refs should be in the center of the field slightly offset to either sideline and each is responsible for following up the play that comes toward your sidelines. Believe it or not, it is more important for rookies to be in the correct position before they learn all the right calls. The focus should be that rookies will be on defense primarily until they have mastered it at which time you seasoned refs can decide when they are ready to switch back and forth between offense and defense. I expect the season refs to make all the penalty calls, manage the game and train up their partner. This is why I am trying to partner you with the same person each week so it gets easier and you guys will be able to work together while getting better and better as a team. Third Remember out there that this is the first couple of weeks and the players and coaches are trying to get acclimated to game and how you referee, so please lets not throw flags on every single penalty. If at all possible try to coach up the players and coaches with the understanding of the rules and or penalty that should of been called so that we aren't slowing down the game. This doesn't mean you don't call any penalties nor will you ever tell a player, coach or fans "that we don't call penalties in the first few weeks." If a penalty causes a serious disadvantage call it and especially call every penalty that happens to be a safety foul, but lets not call every illegal shift, false start, illegal rush, etc if it doesn't affect the outcome of the play or is insignificant. For Example: the wide receiver barely false starts before the snap and the quarter back hands the ball off and it's a running play, let's tell the coach to remind his players to watch the snap of the ball and not go off the hike call. Also let the player know that they false started and that it is a penalty, this is what I mean by coaching them up. However, if a player false starts and is 3 yards down field before the ball is snapped, you must call a penalty for false start as it is more than obvious that the player violated the rules. I will leave penalty calls to your discretion, let's just make sure if we are calling penalties we are calling it the same for both teams. |