Jim Briggs 1 Recent mechanics changes 2008

POSITIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 2

Initial position on free kicks Downfield officials start on pylons – Not 5-yard line 3 officials deep? – R may start in end zone All may move up according to: – Wind – Strength of kicker's leg 3

Referee’s position on punts Be deeper than kicker – Rather than level with spot of kick Be at 45° to kicker when ball kicked Advantages: – R is out of the way if bad snap or kick is blocked – R in better position to rule if kick goes out of bounds 4

Wing officials observe motion on their side of the field Instead of observing motion of player moving away from you Advantage: – No switch of responsibility if player changes direction – Switch when player passes the ball is easier than when player changes direction 5

Umpire goes to get ball in hurry-up situations In hurry-up situations (when the clock is still running), the Umpire must go get the ball wherever it is inbounds, and act as both Retriever and Spotter. Other officials must ensure that they are in position for the next down. 6

Umpire standing over the ball 1 Every play, U stay over the ball until you have checked that: – down box is at the succeeding spot (or virtually) – defense is ready (i.e. on field and roughly in formation) – including giving defense opportunity to make matching substitutions if Team A do – all officials in position facing the ball – R looks prepared to declare the ready for play 7

Umpire standing over the ball 2 Also, after stoppage, in addition to the above, stay over ball until reason for the stoppage has ended, e.g.: – 1’05 (or 35") of the timeout has ended (or both teams are obviously ready) – R has completed his penalty announcements – injured player is clear of the field – chains are back at sideline after a measurement 8

Fumble recovery mechanics 1 Unless obviously no change in team possession, covering official signals to show which team has recovered the ball – If Team B recover (or Team A after double change) signal a first down (S8) – If Team A recover normally, signal next down 9

Fumble recovery mechanics 2 If nobody sees who recovers fumble before a "scrum" forms on top of the ball: – Award ball to player in control once scrum unpiled – If equal control of the ball, award to team last in possession – Touching the ball does not necessarily mean that a player is in control of the ball. 10

New supplementary signal 27 Same as signal S17 for uncatchable pass Use when telling L that down box is wrong Could also be used to tell LJ that auxiliary box is wrong 11

Bean bag rather than flag if in doubt over illegal forward pass If possible that forward pass was thrown from beyond the neutral zone: – R move to spot of pass and drop bean bag – Keep officiating until the play is over – Come back and check position of bean bag – Consult with colleagues who may also have had a view of the location of the pass – If pass illegal, throw flag at position of bean bag Throw flag if certain pass was illegal 12

Umpire does not turn around on field goal attempts Do not turn around to see whether the kick is successful or not. Do not echo the success/failure signals of the official(s) ruling on the kick. 13

Delay of game (25-second clock) SJ is no longer responsible for calling this R is – always 14

DUTIES 15

Be aware of where line to gain is Being aware of where the line to gain is in relation to the line of scrimmage so that you don't have to look at the chain to know whether the dead ball spot is close to the line to gain or not. 16

Keys Doesn't matter in determining keys whether a player is wearing an eligible number or not. If the formation is illegal (e.g. too many players in the backfield, more than one player in motion), failsafe to keys based on position of players at snap. Disregard whether receiver is covered on the line when determining keys. 17

Referee notifies coach of disqualification For a disqualification, the calling official should accompany R to notify Head Coach of number of player and nature of foul. If R called foul, wing should accompany him. Another official (normally opposite wing) should inform opposing coach of disqualification. 18

Kick off interrupted If anything happens that should prevent the kick taking place (e.g. a non-participant enters or approaches the field of play), toot your whistle, give the timeout signal (S3) and deal with the problem. 19

WAY OF WORKING 20

Tempo 1 Jogging looks better than walking Keep facing the ball – enables R to declare ball ready for play sooner 21

Tempo 2 When players angry or frustrated: – slow tempo to let them cool off or talk to you – increase tempo to force concentration – use experience to decide which is appropriate In hot weather: – encourage players to drink water during breaks – never call a Referee's timeout solely for water 22

Tempo 3 The official who recognises an injured player should note his number and ensure that the provisions of Rule are observed Always follow the advice or instructions of the medical personnel present regarding the removal of players from the field. – Don't rush this. 23

Penalty administration No longer necessary to record half-distance penalty yardage 24

RULES INTERPRETATIONS 25

Illegal formation Ignore any foul for six men on the line of scrimmage if Team A has only 10 men on the field at the snap. 26

Fighting Distinguish between players (on field at start of fight), substitutes and coaches who actively participate in fight and those trying only to separate combatants. – Latter should not be disqualified Only disqualify player if certain of number. – If two players involved in fight, don't disqualify one unless you know identity of the other. Unnecessary roughness on "take a knee" should normally result in disqualification 27