WINGS SECTION – LINESMAN & LINE JUDGE
4 – Official Mechanics
Table of Contents
I.......... BASIC
RESPONSIBILITIES. 2
X........ FIELD GOALS / TRY FOR
POINT.. 7
XII..... REVERSE GOAL
LINE.. 8
XIII.... ADMINISTERING
PENALTIES. 9
XV...... BEAN BAG & FUMBLE
MECHANICS. 9
XVI.... MISCELLANEOUS
SUGGESTIONS. 10
A. Communication with coaches and players.
B. Sideline control and management.
C. Game management of the chain crew and ball boys.
D. Game time.
A. LINESMAN
1. When entering the field, one half hour before game time, check on chain crew and review their job duties.
2. Check sideline and make necessary adjustments.
B. LINE JUDGE
1. When entering the field, find out whom and where the Timer will be located and give the Timer instructions.
2. Review your sidelines and make necessary adjustments.
3. Find out if there will be ball boys and go over instructions with them. Get the game balls from the REFEREE.
4. By not having a BJ, the LINE JUDGE is responsible for all timing situations, except the 25 second play clock (REFEREE). LINE JUDGE is also responsible for timing the timeouts.
A. LINE JUDGE to bring in captains representing the home team.
B. LINESMAN to bring in captains representing the visiting team.
C. Both WINGS will stop at their 9-yard marks.
A. LINESMAN
1. Before Kick
a. Take charge of ball
b. County K players.
c. Instruct kicker to look at white hat and raise hand when ready.
d. Hold arm above head to indicate you are ready.
e. Be prepared to administer dead ball fouls.
2. After Kick
a. Watch the ball to determine legality of kick. It is important to know if the kicker grounded the ball.
b. Have beanbag ready in case of first touching.
c. Mark kick out of bounds in your area and throw your flag. However, if last touched by R, toss your beanbag (don’t throw your beanbag).
d. Be alert for illegal contact against kicker.
e. Watch downfield blocking.
B. LINE JUDGE
1. Before Kick
a. Make sure the clock is working, have watch and also be ready to assume game clock should field clock malfunction.
b. Check to make sure coach and players are in Team Box.
c. Count Receiving team’s (R) players.
d. Hold arm above head to indicate to REFEREE that you are ready.
e. Hold beanbag in case of first touching.
2. After Kick
a. Mark spot of first touching with beanbag.
b. Watch all blocking in your area.
A. LINESMAN:
1. Position on K’s free kick line.
2. Watch the ball to determine if the ball was legally kicked. It is important to know if the ball was grounded on the kickoff has it has an affect on what K can legally do
3. If ball is an on-side kick, move with the ball for the first 9 yards. Be prepared to bean bag any first touching of the ball by R or K.
B. LINE JUDGE:
1. Position on R’s free kick line.
2. Be prepared to rule on first touching and if the kick traveled the required 10 yards.
A. Position: Straddle the yard line that the ball is on. Initial position should be on the sideline if the ball is on the far hash mark or out-of-bounds if the ball is on the near hash mark. Play wide!
EXCEPTION: When offensive team is OBVIOUSLY taking a knee to run out the clock. Per REFEREE’s discretion, WINGS can be no closer than 9 yards from the formation to assist with any post-play antics.
B. LINESMAN:
C. Check down-box number
D. Signal to REFEREE and confirm the down number.
E. Monitor player in motion AWAY from you and maintain responsibility for him if he reverses direction.
F. If a back in the backfield makes a sudden move forward and then stops, this movement is to be ruled as a false start.
G. Check encroachment or false start. Get together and discuss if multiple flags. Agree on the call before reporting.
A. After ball is spotted:
1. Position: No closer than 9 yards outside widest offensive player. It is preferable to start initial position on sideline.
2. Check down box to make sure that the down shown is correct.
3. Signal by extending arm into the offensive backfield to indicate to opposite wing that the offensive player closest to you is off the line of scrimmage.
4. Check players on your side of the line to determine their legal position.
5. Player in motion away from you is your responsibility. If he reverses direction, he is still yours.
6. Monitor movement by offense that could be a false start or encroachment by defense. Both are dead ball penalties. The play CANNOT start.
B. After snap:
1. Key on tackle and read run or pass.
2. Be alert and help to spot forward progress on the play.
3. Wide runs to your side, watch for blocking ahead of the runner.
4. When ball goes to the opposite side, be alert for a counter play and/or reverse.
5. You are responsible for cleanup on plays away from you.
6. You are responsible for the entire sideline. If ball goes out-of-bounds, you may need to pivot 180 degrees and watch the action out-of-bounds. Let another official go into the bench area, if at all possible. Hold your spot!
7. Be alert for illegal forward passes.
A. Key through end to read initial block of the tackle.
B. Move downfield cautiously 5-7 yards to cover short pass on your side of the field.
C. If any receiver goes deep on your side (regardless of where he started), be in a position to cover the deepest receiver on long passes.
D. If pass is incomplete in your area:
1. Sound whistle.
2. Give incomplete pass signal. Do not give the stop the clock signal. Off officials should give the stop the clock signal. On passes that are obviously incomplete, give only one signal.
3. Retrieve ball and relay to official nearest the previous spot.
A. LINESMAN
1. Before the snap:
A. Position: Same as for run or pass.
2. After the snap:
a. Proceed downfield as soon as the kick crosses the line of scrimmage.
b. If kick is to your side and goes out of bounds, sound whistle and give the time out signal
c. Look for the REFEREE to spot you.
d. If the ball doesn’t come to your side, continue to officiate and watch for clipping and blocking below the waist.
B. LINE JUDGE
1. Before the snap:
a. Position: 7-10 yards wider than, and in front of the deepest receiver.
b. Glance at the clock to make sure it is correctly running or stopped.
c. Count the defensive or receiving team’s players.
d. Instruct deepest receiver that if it is his intent to fair catch, that you want a ‘good signal’. Do not coach him what a ‘good signal is, however.
2. After the snap:
a. Have beanbag in hand in case of first touching.
b. If ball goes out of bounds, be ready to rule. Touched by whom? Was ball muffed? and, if handed off, was it forward or backward?
c. Following a fair catch, sound the whistle, give the timeout signal, and mark the spot. Make sure the REFEREE knows what you have.
d. Be prepared to rule a touchback, a safety, or if the momentum rule applies.
A. LINESMAN
1. Position on sideline straddling the yard line of the ball.
2. Observe neutral zone for movement or defensive encroachment.
3. If the ball is snapped inside the 15-yard line, watch for roughing/running into the kicker/holder.
B. LINE JUDGE
1. Ball spotted inside the 15-yard line:
a. Position on the sideline straddling the yard line of the ball.
b. Be prepared to handle any goal line play.
2. Ball spotted outside the 15-yard line
a. Position beyond the end zone and behind your upright where you feel most comfortable and have best coverage of the upright. After snap, LINE JUDGE rules on upright.
b. Be prepared to move if kick is blocked, obviously short, or a fake.
c. Key tight end on your side.
d. If run develops to your vacated side, quickly move along end line to back pylon to rule on sideline.
A. Snap inside the 5-yard line, get to the goal line and work back if progress is short of goal line.
B. Snap from the 15 yd line to the 5 yd line: Move slowly toward the goal line, stay ahead of the runner. Ideally, you should be on the pylon and have the runner cross in front of you.
C. Make sure you see the ball in the end zone before signaling a touchdown.
D. Communication with the entire crew in this area is very important
A. If ball is snapped inside the 3-yard line – LINESMAN and LINE JUDGE are moving to goal line as first move.
B. If ball is snapped between the 3-yard line to 8-yard line – REFEREE and Wing official opposite the REFEREE have goal line responsibility. Wing official on REFEREE’s side; be prepared to assist if needed.
C. If ball is snapped outside the 8-yard line – REFEREE has the goal line.
D. Like regular goal line plays, communication with the entire crew in this area is very important.
A. Lineman:
1. Steps off penalty yards on sideline and verifies that the UMPIRE has correctly stepped off the penalty enforcement.
B. LINE JUDGE:
1. Remains at the basic enforcement spot until the correct enforcement has been completed.
2. LINE JUDGE shall then step off the enforcement yards to verify that the crew has correctly enforced the penalty.
C. Penalty enforcement is a crew responsibility:
A. Start with the whistle in mouth but let it drop after the snap.
B. Don’t blow the play dead until you see the ball.
A. Do not beanbag fumbles behind the line or by the QB. No need to bag fumbled snaps.
B. Bean bag forward progress and out of bounds spots. On plays out of bounds, blow whistle.
C. Beanbag spot of the fumble (spot where possession is lost, not where the ball hits the ground) only if you see the runner loose possession; do not drop a bag simply because you see the ball loose.
D. If a pile forms on top of a fumble, the closest official becomes the “digger” and is responsible for unpiling the players and determining who has recovered the fumble. He will verbally relay this information to the REFEREE.
E. If Team A has recovered the ball the REFEREE will announce and signal the next down (start the clock if it was stopped for the unpiling).
F. If Team B has recovered the ball the REFEREE (only) will signal first down (stop the clock if it has not already been stopped).
A. Reference 5-man section.