Rivalry games can be fun to work. They can also be hard to work. This weeks rivalry game was neither. It was just plain boring.
Oh, there was scoring -- 44-20... or 28. I can't read my writing. But all it really means is the clock was stopped following each score. Neither team drove down the field. Just a lot of turnovers, and then opportune scoring because of the resulting good field position. There were occasional blown coverage resulting in a long touchdown pass. These types of plays may be exciting on TV, but from an officials point of view, this is pretty boring.
From an Umpire point of view, pass blocking is dull. In this league, there is no 'pocket'. There really is no time for a lineman to hold during pass plays. Three step drop and dump the ball off. Boring. An because these guys cannot decide on using a standard game ball, all I end up doing is chasing the ball after the highly probable incomplete pass, placing the ball back on the ground, stepping back to my position, and doing it all over again. And again.
There were way too many offsides for this late in the season. The visitors must have been called for seven offside fouls. There complaint was the Center was moving the ball. The Center's adjustment of the ball was absolutely NOT cause the defense to jump. Every Center adjusts the ball to some degree. As long as he is doing this consistently, which they all do, then no one is being fooled. He is not doing it deliberately. It's routine and part of a rhythm. The defenders were jumping because the QB was changing his cadence, not because of anything the Center was doing.
The home team's Center was very good. Everything the defense was in the neutral zone, we would snap the ball. It becomes a free down. No matter what happens, they will be keeping the ball. I was impressed.
No one really complained about being held. Since I worked this team several times, I guess they know I will not be persuaded.
We did have one great play on a two-point Try. The receiver inside the end zone was coming back to the ball. He caught the ball airborne, reached back, and touched the ball on the top of the pylon. It was quick thinking by the receiver. The pylon is considered to be part of the end zone. As an airborne runner he needs to keep the ball in the field of play. The HL was not on the goal line for some reason, but he did make the correct TD ruling.
Two more weeks of the NCFL league. I may work a second game this weekend with another league. I have not seen the names for the crew.
