Football Official

Football Official

Zebra

Somewhere in, NJ

Male, 62

I've officiated football for over 30 years, now in my 26th on the college level. I've worked NCAA playoffs at the Division II and III level. In addition, I've coached at the scholastic level and have been an educator for over 35 years. I have no interest whatsoever in being an NFL official! Ever!

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Last Answer on January 23, 2021

Best Rated

On a kickoff, say the receiver catches the ball straddling the endzone, he hesitates, and here's the other team. He can't go fwd., he may get a safety, so he decides to throw the ball out of bounds. An illegal forward pass but they keep the ball?

Asked by Scott almost 8 years ago

Hey, coach! Tell your player to either catch it in the field of play or in the endzone. No indecision!!

Generally, officials will give the player the benefit of the doubt and say he's in the endzone. But if he is obviously straddling the line as you describe, he's caused all of us problems. It matters where the ball is, not the player. But if he throws it, he just screwed the pooch. If he throws it backwards, it's alive and the kicking team could recover it. If he throws it out of bounds backwards, it's a safety. If he throws it forward from the endzone, it's an illegal forward pass and the penalty is marked from the spot of the foul -- safety.

High School Football Question:
If there are two live ball fouls called on one team, one is for holding and the other is a unsportsmanlike, can both fouls be administered?

Asked by Dan C almost 9 years ago

Really good question and my first thought was NO, but the unsportsmanlike set off bells. I decided to check anyway and I was wrong.

In the rule book, pg 76, 10-2-4, " When a team commits a non-player or unsportsmanlike foulduring that same down, it is administered from the succeeding spot as established by the acceptance or declination of the penalty for the other foul."

In the case book: pg 101, 10.4.5, situation A, B, and  D.

It should be noted that the dead ball fouls they talk about are "coach coming onto the field to criticize an official, player swearing."

Question on HS kickoff rules. If a kickoff is popped into the air (doesn't hit the ground) the receiving team can fair catch the ball. The kicking team cannot advance the ball if they recover, but can the kicking team catch the ball out air?

Asked by HSCoach about 8 years ago

Kicking cannot legally touch tbe ball until it has gone 10 yards. Yes, they can cat h it in the air but they are also subject to kick catch interference rules. The receivers can call for a fair catch.

Grif Whalen calls a fair catch. The ball hits his facemask and bounces up. While the ball is in the air, is the defender allowed to grab it?

Asked by Rick almost 8 years ago

Yes. As long as he doesn't impede the rrceiver's opportunity to catch.

If a interference penalty is called in the e.z. and it is the last play of the half, the ball is placed at the one, but on the ensuing play, the offense is called for pre snap movement, is the extra play still runafter a 5 yard march off.

Asked by bucky110 about 8 years ago

Placed at the one in the NFL, at the 2 in NCAA play. If there was a false start, then there was no play. Yes, the five-yard penalty is enforced and then the offense runs the untimed down from the 6 or 7, depending on the level. In high school, it is simply a 15 yard penalty from the previos spot.

What happens in college football when the runners own player knocks him backwards and down to the ground. How is forward progress determined? Since the defense did not stop him – should he be down where he lands and not where the forward most spot of the ball?

Asked by Brian Jarrell almost 9 years ago

I wish I had seen this - it's the second question about it. Here's the answer - repeated: A player is moving forward until he isn't. If a runner collides with a teammate and falls down, he's down. Once the runner's own action stops propelling him forward - unless he runs backwards of his accord - he has ended his "forward progress". And to add/clarify: It is where the ball is when his forward movement ends, whether tackled or he falls on his own or after contact with his teammate.

Watching the Pitt/Jax game. A. Brown catches a pass and goes out of bounds. The clock keeps running. Huh?

Asked by Doug almost 8 years ago

First, in the NFL, outside of two minutes remaining in each half, the clock is started once the ball is spotted after the runner goes out of bounds. And the clock is stopped when a runner goes OOB. Now, in your situation, the only thing I can think of is that Brown had forward progress and then was pushed OOB. In that case, he technically didn't go out of bounds. Rather, he was stopped while in bounds and that ended the play. Not the going OOB.