Author Topic: 'Helpful players'  (Read 2875 times)

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Offline bbeagle

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'Helpful players'
« on: October 20, 2016, 07:59:28 AM »
How do you deal with 'Helpful players' who pick up your flag, bean bag or even the football?

I've had situations where my bean bag was dropped to mark the end of the kick, I follow the play upfield, we have a flag somewhere for a PSK. Then a player comes up to us and trying to be helpful, says, 'Here, sir - you dropped this'.

It doesn't happen often, but it happens occasionally. Most players don't even understand why we drop bean bags. Many understand that they can't touch flags, but some don't and don't understand that flags mark an enforcement spot.

Had one last night where the home team kicks the ball, ball is caught, blue bean bag thrown, ball spotted at the end of the run (home team's ball), and a white bean bag is also placed at that spot. While we go to get a visiting team ball (in a 3 man game), and the blue bean bag, and spot the chains, the home team takes their ball and the white bean bag.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2016, 08:01:53 AM by bbeagle »

Offline chriscwilson

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  • Without officials... it is only recess.
Re: 'Helpful players'
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2016, 08:15:47 AM »
Happened to me on more than one occasion during a game.  I went to the captains and told them to not pick up flags or bean bags and to relay it to their teams.  End of problem.

Offline Ralph Damren

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Re: 'Helpful players'
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2016, 10:35:07 AM »
I don't believe I've ever had a player pick up a penalty flag (they know what its for), but I've had a few pick up : bean bags, score cards and silver dollars. I thank the young lads for their manners and honestly, if it was a bean bag, I'll say it was dropped for a purpose and "you don't remember where ya' found it, do ya' ??? :o ;?"  ;D

Offline bawags06

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Re: 'Helpful players'
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2016, 11:50:26 AM »
This happened to me with my penalty flag yesterday in a junior high (7th and 8th grade) game. The poor kid obviously had no idea that the spot of the flag was important...probably because they see us just toss some flags straight into the air without really caring where they land. (e.g. False Start, Encroachment, USC) He didn't pick it up until I (as the U yesterday) had walked off the penalty and was going back to get the flag anyway, so, thankfully, it didn't matter.

I told him that if a flag is thrown during the play to just let it lay there because the spot sometimes matters. He apologized and said "Yes, sir."  tiphat:


Unrelated in the same game, I had the A coach yelling at his QB to "throw it away!!" to avoid taking a sack. Being junior high, I did take the time between quarters to review the IG rules with him.

Offline AlUpstateNY

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Re: 'Helpful players'
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2016, 03:58:54 PM »
Yes, there is a difference between being innocently ignorant and regrettably stupid.  As Ralph suggests above, when dealing with a well intended, polite young man, who made an honest mistake, a simple "Thank you" followed by an explanation why the placement and location of the bean bag/flag may be important would normally correct the ignorance, without undue damage.

If it were to persist, or repeat, additional effort may be necessary.

Many players we interact with on lower levels, will meet us again at Varsity, so whatever we can do to help them understand what we do, and why, may turn out to be a self serving benefit.