Weekly Bull 10/26/11

San Diego County Football Officials Association Memo

To:        Crew Chiefs, Head Coaches, and Athletic Directors

CC:       SDCFOA Instructors & Staff

From:    Steve Coover, Instructional Chair SDCFOA

Date:    10/26/11         

Re:       Weekly Bulletin #9

Payment for Services

Just a reminder to complete the school’s pay voucher provided to you at the beginning of every game.  Many/Most people just enter the last 4 digits of the social security number to avoid the possibility of identity theft.  These vouchers have been misplaced and then found in some interesting and no so secure locations.  The financial secretary at each school has been provided a list of our officials’ SS numbers so they can complete the paperwork and make payment.  If there is a lengthy delay, it might be that the school is in the South Bay and they have a two week intersession with no staff available to process the pay warrant.  Thank you for your patience, officials.  When the wait becomes too lengthy, then contact Tom Ables and he will assist you.

Roughing the Passer

One of the tougher calls for our referees is the roughing the passer call when the roughing consists of pushing the QB after the ball has been released.  The definition of roughing is well beyond pushing so in most cases the slight push is not enough for roughing the passer.  But, we must consider in two other factors: 1) Has the player been previously warned about being close to roughing the QB? And 2) Did the defender have ample opportunity to NOT push the QB?  Ultimately this is a judgment call and our referees are more than capable in make the proper determination.  In most cases, this is not the NFL, a simple push will probably not be roughing the passer.

Late Hits

All officials are reminded to stay alert at the end of every play for late hits (dead ball personal fouls). On every play there is the potential for linemen to get in that late hit near the pile or away from the play.  Do not be in a hurry to get the football, we’ll get it soon enough.  Stay with the players and watch the colors separate.  Stay focused.

Blowouts

I’ve heard officials in the past complain about the number of games they’ve had that quickly developed into blowouts.  I’ve noticed that we’ve had quite a few this year and want to offer you a different view on the need for our best officials on these games.  I suggest that a blowout can be a very difficult situation for players, coaches and officials.  I always told my crews that if we ended up with a game that was ending up one sided, that we better be doing our best officiating so that the game can continue smoothly and end successfully.  It takes focus, talent, and plain old hard work to get these types of games done properly.  So, if you have a game going one sided, remind your crew to stay focused and keep up the constant communication with players and coaches.  Ending one of these games successfully can be a real feather in your cap and bring to the crew a real sense of pride.

Automatic 1^st Down Penalties

Just a quick list for coaches….and officials:

• Defensive pass interference

• Roughing the kicker or holder

• Roughing the snapper

• Roughing the passer

Loss of Down Penalties

Another quick list:

• Illegal forward pass (beyond the line of scrimmage)

• intentional grounding

• illegal touching (of a pass by an ineligible)

• Illegally handing the ball forward

• Offensive Pass interference