“This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend...”
I’m still trying to find the problem this thread was intended to solve.
Seriously, the issue seems to revolve around the proper time to restart the game clock after a first down. Some say just as soon as possible, without regard for whether the ball is ready for play or not. I disagree with that. Some say just as soon as the umpire has set it down and moved away, and I agree that's the technical application of the rule. Others (myself included) seem to think the best mechanic is to wait until the down box is down. This may burn a couple of seconds, but to me making sure the LOS is established makes good sense. If we need to couple that with holding the U until that's accomplished, then I'm all for that. After all, there's nothing in the rules that say the R can't hold the U until he's sure the ball is ready for play, is there?
Regardless, I think it's a mountain/molehill issue. Practically speaking, there is at most a 2 second delay between the two actions we are contending about. I tried to pay closer attention Friday night to when the two actions happened, and found no discernible difference between the time the ball was down, the teams were ready, and the down box was set. If anybody has any horror stories about a train wreck in this case I would love to hear from you.
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