Football

Football

No Chain Of Fools

In the vast majority of games, the officiating crew is handed a chain crew not of their selection. In fact, at some schools no...

Before The Flag

No one likes to see a lot of flags thrown. They interrupt the flow of the game and can seem to make it drag...

Sideline Officials Cannot Just Wing It

R eferees have a great deal on their plate. Before the opening kickoff they perform organizational duties, and conduct the pregame meeting and onfield tasks...

First Action May Not Be the Last

A few seasons ago, a game was stopped six times for instant play reviews. Four stops led to reversals of the onfield call. Two of the reversals involved...

Foul That’s Over the Top

Hurdling is an attempt by a player to jump with one or both feet or knees foremost over an opponent who is contacting the...

Now, Later and Never

The idea of a flag being waved off brings to mind an overbearing referee trumping the decision of a younger crewmate. That has happened...

Safety Glasses

The opening kickoff sails over the goalline. The ball is muffed in flight by the receiver and rolls away. The ball is recovered and...

Forward Thinking on Backward Passes

I created a list of words and expressions commonly used by fans, coaches, announcers and sometimes by officials. However, nothing in my list appears...

Passer Gets Extra Attention 

Philosophies, rules and mechanics have increasingly stressed the need to officiate through the passer — in other words, pay particular attention to contact on...

The ABCs of A-B-A

T he ABCs of A-B-A A rare and challenging play involves a double change of possession, known as an A-B-A play. In PlayPic A, the...

Team B Fouls on a Touchdown

Depending on the rules code, a scoring team may or may not have an enforcement option if the opponent commits a foul during the...

Foul and Fumble? A Formula for Flaws

Change of possession. Foul in the end zone. Fumble forward and out of bounds. That’s a lot of action on a single play. And it...

Muff May Affect Protection

A fair catch is, in effect, a trade. The receiver gives up his right to advance in exchange for freedom from contact by the opponent....

No Connection, But There’s Still an Ejection

In most cases, it is not illegal to fail in the attempt to do something. Fighting is an exception. Even if a punch fails to...

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