One of the great things about officiating football is you really do not know what is going to happen next. Sure, you expect a pass on 3rd and long, or if a team has to score with 2:00 remaining the odds are they will run certain types of plays. This is not what I am talking about.
From an officiating perspective, football is a game where much of the contest is structured. If you have a pre-snap routine, know your keys (what you focus as the play begins) and use proper mechanics, much of the game is routine. I even use a process where I break down a play as it happens, "knowing" I will not see holding within the first 'one-one thousand' of the play. I'm more likely to see a chop block, for example. By 'two-one thousand' now holding will begin to develop and now I just need to know where the point of attack is.
Screw-ups happen when the structure is broken and the unexpected, unexpectedly happens. I learned this weekend my structure needs more refining.
High School
This structure problem was not a major... I just did the wrong thing. During a Try (extra point) the holder, with his knee still on the ground, tosses the ball to the kicker during a fake Try. As I recall, they failed. What do I do? Toss my flag. What should I have done? Let's find out.
First let's look at rule 4-2-2-a; the ball becomes dead and the down is ended: a) when a runner... allows any part of his person other than hand or foot to touch the ground.
But wait, you say, the 'holder' is not the 'runner' silly man. If are a regular reader you should know better than to ask this kind of a question; because, in 2-32-13 is says a runner is a player who possess a live ball...
So, the holder is a runner with a part of his person other than his hand or foot touching the ground... shouldn't the ball be dead?
Well, no. Under 4-2-2-a there are some exceptions. 1) The ball remains alive if, at the snap, a place-kick holder with his knee(s) on the ground and a teammate is kicking position catches or recovers the snap while his knee(s) are on the ground and places the ball for a kick or if he rises to advance, hand, kick or pass; OR
Pretty wordy way to say the holder can have his knee on the ground and put the ball down for a kick. It also says he can rise and advance, pass, or hand the ball off. (The kick would mean he could drop kick... let's not go there.)
Did you notice the big read OR? Exception #2: the ball remains live if, at the snap, the place-kick holder with his knee(s) on the ground and with a teammate in kicking position RISES and catches or recovers an errant snap and immediately returns to his knees to the ground and places the ball for a kick or if he rises to advance, hand, kick or pass. It also says if while doing all this the holder muffs or fumbles the ball, the ball is dead.
None of this happened. The holder had his knee on the ground, there was a player in kicking position, the snap was good, no muff or fumble. But the holder passes the ball with his knee still on the ground... there is NO EXCEPTION for this scenario. It falls into under the basic 4-2-2 rule-- the ball becomes dead and the down is ended: a) when a runner... allows any part of his person other than hand or foot to touch the ground.
A little confusing? Even one of my fellow officials said, "He can pass the ball backwards, but not forward." I know what he was thinking -- a backward pass is a fumble. But this would fall into condition of making the dead when the holder fumbles.
So the holder can stand-up (and become a runner) and pass the ball, but he cannot pass the ball while his knee is still on the ground (while still being the holder). Holders can ether hold the ball for the kicker, or they can become runners.
So, I did not anticipate, expect or even consider this type of play occurring. I expected routine... this was a JV game. But when this play did occur all I thought was - "that ain't right" and tossed a flag.
I also screwed up the signals. I indicated the defense declined this phantom foul when I should have waived off the flag. Again, not the end of the world.
But the next blunder, outlined in the next post, is even more interesting.
To review older post, read about other mistakes, and learn the game from an official perspective, go to pigskinref.blogspot.com.
