Weekly Bull 8/25/21

SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL – August 25, 2021
 
No Meeting This Week – No meetings of any kind.  Week off, but that doesn’t eliminate the need to study!  Have you completed your rules exam?  If so, maybe review your test and see where you may have misread or got confused! Watch this week’s instructional video and , if you’re on a crew, you have the opportunity to review your film and the crew’s cut ups!
 
Improvement Week #1 To Week #2 – The improvement from week #1 to week #2 is the most dramatic all season for all three teams, players, coaches, and officials. Work hard and get involved with your crew.  Phone members of your crew to discuss opportunities to improve based upon your crew’s evaluation and the review of your film. 
 
Keep Your Calendar Current – I know this is the hundredth time we’ve reminded you but two more officials turned back games that were assigned because the calendar showed that they were available. 
 
Adopt a Crew or a School Site – If you’re not on the field, there is no better way to improve your mechanics than to watch a veteran crew demonstrate them.  I highly advise all newer officials to either adopt a crew on Friday nights, or go to your neighborhood high school and observe the different crews come through each week.  You can even get involved by keeping the foul report for the crew!  Introduce yourself to the crew beforehand in the locker room and offer your services.
 
Visitors at Games – If you are visiting a game and observing a crew do not follow the chain crew and head linesman through the team box. Stay out of any team box area and do not communicate with coaches or game administrators.  Please observe the game from the stands, or if allowed on the field, from the sideline outside the team box and outside of the white restricted area or dashed restraining line. If you want to change ends of the field, walk around the team box. 
 
Lightening - From the NFHS Rule Book – From the back of the Rule Book – Include game administration in any decision making:

1. When thunder is heard, or a cloud-to-ground lightning strike is seen, the thunderstorm is close enough to strike your location with lightning.  Suspend play and take shelter immediately.

   Thirty-minute rule.  Once play has been suspended, wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard or flash of lightning is witnessed prior to resuming play.

   Any subsequent thunder or lightning after the beginning of the 30-minute count, reset the clock and another 30 minute count should begin.

 
California State Mercy Rule - At the conclusion of the third quarter or any point thereafter, if there is a point differential of 35 or more points, a running clock shall be instituted for the remainder of the game regardless of the score.  The game clock shall stop only for a score, a free kick following a fair catch or awarded fair catch, a charged team timeout, a coach-referee conference or an official’s timeout.  This bylaw applies to all levels of play.
 
Overtime Rules – The CIF Green Book requires overtime at the varsity level.  Review these rules each week! We’re posting it up on our website at www.sdcfoa.org.  In high school we repeat the same procedure each series.  We do not shorten the overtime like they do in college.
 
Sportsmanship Nominations – We’ve received our first three nominations for sportsmanship awards.  Please continue to nominate worthy teams each week.
 
Uniforms and Adornments – Keep up the great work.  Biggest issue now is long t-shirts hanging down.  Have them tuck them in.
 
Coaches Off the Field – Please be consistent and use the sideline warning if necessary to help remind coaches of the rule.  Consistency week-to-week will help coaches.  Inconsistency will send the wrong message and coaches will have the right to be frustrated with us.
 
Locker Rooms – If we’re allowed to use them, please leave them better than when you arrived.  We are visitors and the PE teachers appreciate it if we keep it clean.  Do not use any items in the locker room for you own purposes.  If there is food or water in the offices, they are not for your use.  Have a crew member responsible for hydration!
 
Report Bad Behavior – When working a youth game, and you experience overly aggressive and threatening unsportsmanlike behavior towards you or any member of your crew, you are to report the events to your assignor.  There is no excuse for the beratement of officials at any level, especially at the youth league level.  If you don’t report, then we can’t address the issue.
 
Seeing the Play Differently – If you see action as legal, and your crewmate throws his flag into the area seemingly at the same action that you judged as legal, here are the recommended steps.  Go to the official and confirm the penalty is for the action you witnessed...”What do you have?”  If it’s as you suspected, do not speak in codes “What did you see”, rather state your observation, “I saw those two players and I judged it to have been a grab after the runner had gone past.”  Then let the calling official decide if he/she wants to pick up the flag or not.  Do not announce, “We’re picking up that flag.” 
 
Observation Checklist – Attached is our Observation Checklist.  Pick and choose from it as you prepare weekly.  Great pre-game discussion topics.
 
Food For Thought –
Play: Fourth and seven on team K's 35 yardline. Team K is flagged for an illegal formation at the snap. K1's punt is partially blocked and crosses the neutral zone. It is untouched when it rolls back behind the neutral zone and out of bounds at team K’s 32-yardline. 

Ruling: Team R may choose to have the five-yard penalty enforced from the dead-ball spot and start a new series, first and 10 at team R's 27 yardline, or have the five-yard penalty enforced from the previous spot and replay the down. That would yield fourth and 12 from team K's 30 yardline. The game clock would start on the snap (3-4-3a, 10-4-2 Exc.).