2011 Season Week 7 Clips
Kick Catch Interference? There continues to be fairly wide differences of opinion/philosophy regarding the kick catch interference foul. What does it take before you or your crew will flag an act as being kick catch interference? The ARs at 6-4-1 provide many examples of plays where the kick catch interference flag is justified. 6-4-1-VI speaks to a play where a Team A player simply runs through an area close to the returner, thus interfering with his opportunity to make the catch. The AR calls for a flag. Whether or not the returner made a valid or invalid fair catch signal (or no signal at all), is immaterial to this foul in most cases. Watch this video and then give your opinion as to whether or not you would flag this as kick catch interference.
"Pick" Play
One of the greatest reasons for continued fan, coach, and player
misunderstanding of the rules can be attributed to media commentators who speak
with an air of authority but misstate the actual rules. This is compounded
when the commentator is a once successful college coach. Most NCAA
officials understand that whether or not the ball has been thrown yet has no
role in determining whether an act by Team A can be described as offensive pass
interference. ( AR 7-3-8-IV, V, & VI.)
Live Ball and Dead Ball Fouls on a Scrimmage Kick Play Some officials continue to be confused with penalty enforcement on downs which include a scrimmage kick. Admittedly there are many nuances on such plays and penalty enforcement can be a challenge. However, the one area officials CAN control is their mental preparation for such situations. We can't always be in the correct location to see what we need to see and even if we are in the correct spot, the speed of the action may limit our ability to see accurately. However, once the action has stopped and all we have to do is mentally think through an enforcement, there is little excuse for error. Although all officials are expected to assist with penalty enforcement, deep officials should be experts on enforcements connected with scrimmage kick plays since that is when they are most critical to the crew. In this play, Team B should have been given 2 options (and declining the Team A penalty would not have been one of them). Team B could have elected to have A penalized 5 yards from the previous spot which would have been followed by B being penalized 15 yards (and an automatic 1st down) for their dead ball foul. The other option (and the one more likely to have been chosen) would be to tack on the 5 yards from the spot where the dead ball belonged to B (the 10), followed by a 1/2 the distance penalty against B for the dead ball foul. If you do not understand why the penalty enforcement should be as indicated here, please see 6-1-8, 6-3-13, & 10-2-4.
Horse Collar Tackle ? In order to have a foul for a horse collar tackle the ball carrier must be "immediately pulled down" (9-1-15). A ball carrier who is spun around as he is being pulled down is typically NOT judged to have been subjected to an illegal horse collar tackle. (And once again we hear an inaccurate statement from the commentator which can cause confusion...grabbing of the inside of the back or side jersey collar can lead to a horse collar foul, even if the pads are not grabbed)
Unfair Acts Kudos to this official for not ignoring an act of interfering with an official while the ball is in play. In this case, the offender created contact with the official. These are extremely dangerous situations and officials owe it to each other to flag these acts as a way of hopefully discouraging their future recurrence. This is a 9-2-3-a foul which carries a penalty of whatever the referee deems equitable. In most cases, a 15 yard "live ball penalized as a dead ball" penalty is appropriate. (Reminder: The correct signal would be the unsportsmanlike conduct signal, not the personal foul signal). Some officials might choose to handle this as a "Game Administration Interference" foul (9-2-5) but that would only result in a 5 yard penalty for the first and second offense. When there is contact between someone in the restricted area and an official, a more severe penalty is warranted.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct ? The most recent CFO video included a player flexing his muscles just as the tackler does in this clip. This is an act the CFO deemed to be a foul and should be flagged.
How Big is YOUR Heart? This last video is not a rules or mechanics situation. It is a little clip highlighting some of the greatest benefits our sport (and sports in general) can give our young people. Football is a way many youngsters get their first exposure to the value of teamwork. It is also a way young folks can develop self-esteem as they learn to do things they may not have felt capable of doing. Finally, if you ever think you "can't" do something because someone or something is holding you back, think about this little guy who does not even recognize what others see as barriers.