SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION
THE WEEKLY BULL – September 2, 2020
“Through our performance we can control the perception of players, coaches and fans. This is sometimes called ‘OPTICS’” – Chris Coyte, PAC 12 Referee
Optics – Every time the game is halted by the officials for any reason, the attention of all players, coaches and fans turns to us. It is during those moments that we must demonstrate our competence. We must be thoroughly prepared as a crew to process any administrative function as quickly and accurately as is humanly possible. If it is a time out, we must make sure the time out is no more than 60 seconds. Following a score, we must facilitate the ensuing kickoff within 60 seconds. And of course, any penalty must be accurately enforced with an absolute minimum of delay! If done properly, and professionally, the crowd and teams will return their focus to the game and the official’s perceived competence (OPTICS) will remain high.
New Video Sent Out – You have all been sent a new Instructional Video, 3-plays for calibration, plus a Video Case Book selection of 5 plays dealing with Roughing the Kicker. I hope you find them informative and after viewing, you can be sure your instructors/crew chiefs will include in your next scheduled meeting…along with important content from this Weekly Bull.
CIF Calendar Announced – It’s time to upgrade your own weekly calendar. Practice begins Dec. 12th. The regular season starts January 8th and end with Week #10 on March 12th. Playoffs start the next week March 19th.
SDCFOA Board Meeting Tonight at 5:30 pm – The Board will be meeting tonight to select the officers for the 2021 season. Any other news from the board meeting will be contained in a future Bull.
Crew Chief Meeting Tonight at 6:00 pm – We will be discussing this Bull, the Instructional Video, the Calibration Video plus the Roughing the Kicker Video Case Book plays.
High School Football Has Started in Other States – You may have seen some games on ESPN this past week as games have begun in Utah, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, North Dakota and others. We should all be hoping that these states experience complete success with their seasons and that no outbreaks of the virus occur. Our season could be adversely affected if there are major incidents. Fingers crossed! Warning….you will see some good, some bad, and some ugly officiating mechanics when you watch…LOL!
Soup-To-Nuts – This is an old phrase used by our Association to describe a thorough pre-season meeting conducted by the referee of every crew in our Association. This meeting is where the crew conducts a thorough review of the mechanics for 5-man officiating which may take upwards of two hours if done properly. The crew chief must be highly organized and set high standards and clear expectations for the crew. Communication, pre-snap routines, coverage, vision, purposeful movement, and dead ball officiating are key issues throughout this review. The crew chief must go into great detail when discussing the crew’s weekly routine, assigned additional duties, pregame, on-field mechanics, halftime, and post-game routines. Again, the referee must be clear and accurate when setting these standards with the crew. Only in this way can a referee get through this amount of information without interruption or omission. Remember, be thorough and establish your expectations. Might be a good time to schedule your crew’s meeting in early December. Scrimmages are December 30-31.
Food For Thought (From Referee Magazine – September Issue)
Each Team Fouls: Al 's legal forward pass is intercepted by B2 at team A's 40 yardline. During B2's advance, B3 blocks A4 in the back at team A's 30 yardline. While making the tackle at team A's 20 yardline, A5 grasps and twists B2's facemask.
Ruling: Team B may keep the ball because it gained possession with "clean hands." To do so, team B would decline the penalty for team A's foul. The 10-yard penalty for B3's block in the back is enforced from the spot of the foul. That moves the ball to team As 40 yardline, leaving team B with first and 10 from there. (10-3-2, 10-4-4)
Late Substitution: Team B realizes it has only 10 players on the field. B11 enters the field from his sideline just before the snap. During the play, B11 (a) participates while on team A's side of the neutral zone; (b) doesn't begin to participate until he is on his side of the neutral zone; or (c) simply continues to run toward his side of the neutral zone, but doesn't participate at all.
Ruling: In (a) and (b), B11 is guilty of illegal participation, a 15-yard, live-ball foul. In (c), B11 should be flagged for a live-ball, five-yard foul for illegal substitution because he was on the wrong side of the neutral zone at the snap and didn't participate in the play. (2-32-15, 3-7-6, 9-6-4a, 9.6.4c)
