OBSERVATION GUIDELINES

FOR ODAC & DIAC FOOTBALL GAMES

A. REFEREE– The primary area for observation is the pace of the game and overall administration of the game.

Between Plays:

a. Does he make the ball ready-for-play with a clear visible signal and consistently within 2-5 seconds after the ball is placed on the ground?

b. Does he minimize the number of times he handles the ball (allowing others to handle relays and spotting the ball)?

During Plays:

a. Does he position himself on the passing arm of the QB, and is he as wide as the tackle 12-14 yards from the LOS?

b. Does he protect the QB on sweeps by staying with the QB a bit longer?

c. Does he follow the QB after he releases the ball on pass plays?

d. Does he stay with the QB when he scrambles, even when the QB goes OOB?

e. How is his positioning on scrimmage kicks?

Penalty Situations:

a. Are his signals crisp and easy to see from the Press Box?

b. Does he move to an ‘open area’ away from the players to give a preliminary signal?

c. On dead ball fouls prior to the snap (false starts, etc), does he give only one signal?

d. On live ball fouls, does he give both a preliminary and final signal?

Miscellaneous

a. Does the coin toss occur approximately 3 minutes prior to kickoff?

b. After a PAT or successful Field Goal, does the free kick occur within 60 seconds?

B. UMPIRE - The primary point of observation is the Umpire’s movement and control of the game, including between plays.

Between Plays

a. Does he stay over the ball until the RFP by the Referee?

b. Does he communicate with the Head Linesman regarding the down?

c. Is his position at the snap approximately 5-7 yards from the ball between the tackles and still?

During Plays

a. Does it appear that he is always dodging players or backing up as the play unfolds?

b. As a runner advances on a sizable gain, is he looking too much at the runner and not blocking?

c. On punts, does he stay with the interior line play before following the action downfield?

d. On pass plays, does he move quickly to the LOS? (Exception ‘jail-break’ screen passes).

e. Does he go into the side zone to clean up where the ball becomes dead?

f. Does he move quickly to the dead ball area, making his presence felt?

Penalty Enforcement

a. Does he get with the Referee to hear the options and the result of the penalty?

b. Does he mark off the penalty crisply and efficiently, checking with the Linesman to insure the yardage is correct?

c. Does he give a clear signal when required prior to a free kick?

C. FLANK OFFICIALS (Linesman and Line Judge) – The primary area of observation is the movement to mark forward progress after a play is complete, and the movement toward the dead ball.

Between Plays

a. Are the L and LJ on the sideline at the snap?

b. Is his sideline clear of players and coaches?

c. Does he turn around to communicate to the coach between downs?

d. Does he use hand signals to illustrate if a Team A wide out closest to him is in the backfield?

During Plays

a. When the runner is downed, does he move up the sideline and square off at the forward progress spot? Is he aware of when he must run in to mark progress and when he should walk toward the dead ball spot?

b. Does he give the runner the foremost point of forward progress beyond and behind the NZ?

c. Does he give a ‘wind the clock’ signal when a play ends near the sideline but in bounds?

d. On pass plays, does he hold the LOS until the pass is thrown?

e. Are their signals clear and easy to see?

f. On plays which go away, do they move into the field and clean up behind the R and U?

g. Are they at the goal line pylon when appropriate?

Penalty Enforcement

a. If he has a dead ball NZ foul, does he blow the whistle, throw the flag and hustle in?

b. Does the Linesman walk off the yardage with the Umpire?

c. Does the Line Judge hold the enforcement spot until the Umpire spots the ball?

d. Are they communicating the number of the correct down?

D. DEEP OFFICIALS (Side Judge, Field Judge, Back Judge) – The primary area of observation is the cushion maintained using fade mechanics and then closing when the ball becomes dead.

Between Plays

a. Is the SJ aware of the 25-second clock?

b. Are the SJ and FJ on the sideline at the snap and approximately 17-20 from the ball?

c. Does it appear that they are counting Team B players each play?

d. Are they communicating the down to one another?

During Plays

a. When the ball is snapped, do they hold their positions and read the play?

b. When they read ‘run’, do they stop and observe?

c. When they read ‘pass’, do they keep a minimum cushion of 10 yards?

d. When a play ends OOB, does the SJ and FJ hustle into the OOB area to separate players?

e. Are the SJ and FJ working in tandem with the HL and LJ respectively?

f. When a play ends, do they move toward the players and practice dead ball officiating?

g. When a play goes away, does the SJ and FJ move to a position between the numbers and the in bounds marks? (Exception: If he encounters players, he cannot move past them.)

h. Are their signals clear and easy to see?

i. Are they either on the goal line or the end line when appropriate?

j. Do they ever get beat deep?

k. On punts, do they appear to have coordination with one another?

Penalty Enforcement

a. When a foul is reported, does he hustle in to find out what it is, and then report the information to the coach on his sideline?

b. If he threw the flag, does he wait until another official has his flag covered?

c. With less than 2 minutes remaining in each half, does he write down the time remaining each time clock is stopped?

d. Do they take their time when getting a new ball into the game? How are their relays throws?