Get Ready for Fall 2024
From: "Rich Kollen" - dayofgame@icloud.com
Subject: SCCFOA
Date: Friday, October 21, 2017
As our teams move into the final weeks of the season, playoff spots and bowl games are on the line. During the last few weeks, we are experiencing an increase in late hits, personal fouls, and trash-talking after the play. This behavior only leads to additional game management issues for officials. Everyone should continue to enforce SCFA's zero-tolerance policy when a player's behavior warrants action. Coaches need to take action and support officials when they see their players push the limits of unsporting behavior. Coaches and AD's should address and discuss the zero-tolerance policy during their daily practices. Expecting officials to clean up this type of poor behavior each Saturday is unrealistic and unfair.
It happens every year. The ball person tells one of the officials, "this is the ball we use to kick," and shows him a ball marked with a "K." The officials correctly would not allow that ball to be used strictly as a kicking ball. It's hard to believe that this comes up before a week 6 game. Officials need to test and approve not more than six balls per team before each game. (Rule 1-3-2-a). Any of those balls can be used at any time. Teams may use only those balls during the game for any type of play. Coaches, be prepared that if you have a "kicking" ball, and the officials approve of the ball as meeting the specifications, your quarterback will likely have to use it for a scrimmage play.
Determining a late hit on a ball carrier running near the sideline is sometime a tough call. There are times when the ball carrier steps out of bounds but continues to run upfield. If the player's shoulders continue perpendicular to the sidelines, and he keeps running upfield, consider the possibility that the defense may not know the runner had stepped out of bounds. Please discuss at this week's pre-game. If he is out of bounds, officials need to whistle the ball dead.
SCFA mechanics has an official watching each eligible receiver, called their "key." During plays where the key is not threatened, officials are instructed to come off their key and help officiate around the action. Any time another official calls a foul on or near your "key," it is YOUR responsibility to talk to that official. If it is your key, we should see you coming immediately to talk to the throwing official as soon as the ball is dead. Too many times, newer officials respond that they were watching their key and did not see anything, but didn't talk to the throwing official. It is frustrating to see incorrect calls made when someone could have stepped up to help get the call correct.
We had a situation last weekend where an inexperienced down box person changed the down, confusing the officials and teams. All of our games have an experienced stat person recording every down in a computer program. The Referee correctly used the field telephone to communicate with the stat person in the press box to resolve the problem. That was an excellent job getting the call correct. That said, let's not allow ourselves to forget the down. Seven officials should know the down.
This is the third year SCFA has use the 40-second play clock. The 40-second play clock makes the game run much faster, but we need to teach clock operators and coaches how it works. As soon as the play ends, the official covering the play will raise his arm to signal the 40-second clock to start. (Rule 3-2-4-b-1). If a player goes out of bounds, the game clock stops, but the 40-second clock starts immediately. If there is an interruption for any reason, the Referee can reset the clock to 25 seconds. Referees, by rule, if the 40-second play clock is running and reads 25 before the ball is ready for play, the Referee shall set the clock to 25 seconds. (Rule 3-2-4-b-3). Let's try to do this without interrupting play. Make sure your clock operators know the different signals to reset the play clocks.
After a change of possession, we enforce penalties before we set the chains. We should never have a 1st and 25 unless the foul occurred after the ready for play. (Rule 5-1-3-a).
Recently, I have had coaches reporting that penalty forms are not being turned into coaches. I know most of you are doing your game reports. The easiest way to get the information to the coaches is to take a picture of the report and email it. If you do not know a coach's email, send it to me and I will forward it to the coach. Many coaches are using these reports when breaking down their video. Please get them to me as soon as possible after a game.
The snapper only receives protection when a team is in a scrimmage kick formation. Any other time, the snapper can be contacted immediately after snapping the ball. The action must be a football act and not anything of a personal foul in nature.
There is no time out after a score and before the next kick off. There can be an "intermission" during this time, of a maximum of one minute. (Rule 3-3-7-h). After a change of possession, there is no timeout or intermission. Officials need to do a better job getting the two teams back on the field after a change of possession or a score. Let's keep the game moving.
By rule, if a defensive player tips a passed ball, there cannot be defensive pass interference. The exception would be if defensive player is so close to the receiver that he touches the ball while committing pass interference. Call that foul.
Horse collar tackles are illegal. With the rule change in 2017, when the defender pulls the runner down with any part of the nameplate area of the jersey, it is a foul (outside of the tackle box). The ball carrier must be immediately pulled down, legs buckling, to make this a penalty. If the ball carrier drags the defender, this is not a foul. Remember, this is a safety foul. If there is no safety issue, let's stay away from this. A horse collar tackle should be fairly obvious to everyone in the stadium before it becomes a foul. (Rule 9-1-15).
"When you win, you show some of your character. When you lose, you show all of it." - Anonymous
Rich Kollen
Director of Football Operations
Subject: SCCFOA
Date: Friday, October 21, 2017
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
2017 WEEKLY BULLETIN #8As our teams move into the final weeks of the season, playoff spots and bowl games are on the line. During the last few weeks, we are experiencing an increase in late hits, personal fouls, and trash-talking after the play. This behavior only leads to additional game management issues for officials. Everyone should continue to enforce SCFA's zero-tolerance policy when a player's behavior warrants action. Coaches need to take action and support officials when they see their players push the limits of unsporting behavior. Coaches and AD's should address and discuss the zero-tolerance policy during their daily practices. Expecting officials to clean up this type of poor behavior each Saturday is unrealistic and unfair.
It happens every year. The ball person tells one of the officials, "this is the ball we use to kick," and shows him a ball marked with a "K." The officials correctly would not allow that ball to be used strictly as a kicking ball. It's hard to believe that this comes up before a week 6 game. Officials need to test and approve not more than six balls per team before each game. (Rule 1-3-2-a). Any of those balls can be used at any time. Teams may use only those balls during the game for any type of play. Coaches, be prepared that if you have a "kicking" ball, and the officials approve of the ball as meeting the specifications, your quarterback will likely have to use it for a scrimmage play.
Determining a late hit on a ball carrier running near the sideline is sometime a tough call. There are times when the ball carrier steps out of bounds but continues to run upfield. If the player's shoulders continue perpendicular to the sidelines, and he keeps running upfield, consider the possibility that the defense may not know the runner had stepped out of bounds. Please discuss at this week's pre-game. If he is out of bounds, officials need to whistle the ball dead.
SCFA mechanics has an official watching each eligible receiver, called their "key." During plays where the key is not threatened, officials are instructed to come off their key and help officiate around the action. Any time another official calls a foul on or near your "key," it is YOUR responsibility to talk to that official. If it is your key, we should see you coming immediately to talk to the throwing official as soon as the ball is dead. Too many times, newer officials respond that they were watching their key and did not see anything, but didn't talk to the throwing official. It is frustrating to see incorrect calls made when someone could have stepped up to help get the call correct.
We had a situation last weekend where an inexperienced down box person changed the down, confusing the officials and teams. All of our games have an experienced stat person recording every down in a computer program. The Referee correctly used the field telephone to communicate with the stat person in the press box to resolve the problem. That was an excellent job getting the call correct. That said, let's not allow ourselves to forget the down. Seven officials should know the down.
This is the third year SCFA has use the 40-second play clock. The 40-second play clock makes the game run much faster, but we need to teach clock operators and coaches how it works. As soon as the play ends, the official covering the play will raise his arm to signal the 40-second clock to start. (Rule 3-2-4-b-1). If a player goes out of bounds, the game clock stops, but the 40-second clock starts immediately. If there is an interruption for any reason, the Referee can reset the clock to 25 seconds. Referees, by rule, if the 40-second play clock is running and reads 25 before the ball is ready for play, the Referee shall set the clock to 25 seconds. (Rule 3-2-4-b-3). Let's try to do this without interrupting play. Make sure your clock operators know the different signals to reset the play clocks.
After a change of possession, we enforce penalties before we set the chains. We should never have a 1st and 25 unless the foul occurred after the ready for play. (Rule 5-1-3-a).
Recently, I have had coaches reporting that penalty forms are not being turned into coaches. I know most of you are doing your game reports. The easiest way to get the information to the coaches is to take a picture of the report and email it. If you do not know a coach's email, send it to me and I will forward it to the coach. Many coaches are using these reports when breaking down their video. Please get them to me as soon as possible after a game.
The snapper only receives protection when a team is in a scrimmage kick formation. Any other time, the snapper can be contacted immediately after snapping the ball. The action must be a football act and not anything of a personal foul in nature.
There is no time out after a score and before the next kick off. There can be an "intermission" during this time, of a maximum of one minute. (Rule 3-3-7-h). After a change of possession, there is no timeout or intermission. Officials need to do a better job getting the two teams back on the field after a change of possession or a score. Let's keep the game moving.
By rule, if a defensive player tips a passed ball, there cannot be defensive pass interference. The exception would be if defensive player is so close to the receiver that he touches the ball while committing pass interference. Call that foul.
Horse collar tackles are illegal. With the rule change in 2017, when the defender pulls the runner down with any part of the nameplate area of the jersey, it is a foul (outside of the tackle box). The ball carrier must be immediately pulled down, legs buckling, to make this a penalty. If the ball carrier drags the defender, this is not a foul. Remember, this is a safety foul. If there is no safety issue, let's stay away from this. A horse collar tackle should be fairly obvious to everyone in the stadium before it becomes a foul. (Rule 9-1-15).
"When you win, you show some of your character. When you lose, you show all of it." - Anonymous
Rich Kollen
Director of Football Operations