How would I answer? "I didn't need it, coach."
Do you challenge your plumber on what tool(s) he used to fix your water closet?
Do you challenge your electrician on what tool(s) he used to fix your light fixture?
Do you challenge your mechanic on what tool(s) he used to repair your car?
I hope you answer 'No' to those questions. I can't imagine any service person willingly working for you otherwise (at least not more than once).
Assuming you answer 'No,' then why would you allow a coach to challenge how you perform your job? It is none of his business why you did or did not drop a bag. Your coordinator or other officiating boss may rightfully inquire, but a coach is not your boss, and has no right to that question, or answer. Bean bags, flags, whistles, etc. are our tools, for our use when we need them. If they are helpful to teams and spectators - fine. But they have no right of expectation as to how we employ them.
Like I said before, it is not at all wrong or bad to drop a bag for momentum. By all means, do it if you feel that is best for you. I probably would/will, too. But, the great auto mechanic doesn't need a computer analyzer to diagnose bad injectors - he knows it, and he fixes the problem with the right, and minimum number, of tools. The great offiicial may mentally note the spot of the catch/recovery in a possible momentum situation, and, if it truly turns into momentum, he just marks the dead-ball spot - even if the ball is fumbled forward and OB by the BC from the EZ. Observe, process, and rule. If you need a bag, use it. But you don't have to, if you don't need it.
Ask a great auto mechanic why he didn't use a box-end wrench instead of an open-end wrench to fix your car, and you are likely get a wrench some place uncomfortable. A mechanic isn't going to be afraid of a car owner. Why are we so afraid of coaches? They are not our enemies, but they are not our bosses, either. We are equals on the field, neither superior nor inferior. Treat them with respect, and demand respect in return.
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Everything you say is valid. If in fact a coach is "challenging" what I say, my reaction would probably much different than if the coach is trying to make sure the officiating crew is indeed enforcing the rules correctly . I would assume that we as officials dont think we are perfect and all coaches are not worthy of appropriately questioning our performance/rule interpretation. I have often been told that i must learn to communicate effectively with coaches. Answering an honest question with an honest answer is made much easier if we as officials follow the mechanics and everyone involved knows what is going on. Why do we need to pause the game so the non-calling officials can determine what happened when a bean bag down would have told everyone that momentum was in play. In some cases, a simple signal could prevent a problem that we cant fix with an explanation. My example for that is the non-wind by the wing official in the Wisconsin game. No damage would have been done by winding the clock in that situation to let everyone (including other officials) know that the calling official had forward progress stopped in bounds. Had he wound the clock, everyone watching would know what he was ruling. An informed group is typically better off. Did the umpire wind the clock because he thought the ball was clearly out of bounds and the wing official either neglected to stop the clock because he had a brain fart (not likely) or did he stop the clock because he wasnt sure what was going on and did not want the clock to keep rolling? It would have hurt nothing in this case to wind the clock so why not? Does it matter that we can explain it later? Maybe, but why not make sure everyone knows what is going on? I sometimes wonder if the answer is that we feel like we are the experts and dont really care if the non-experts understand the nuances of not dropping a beanbag solely because we (the officials) decided it wasnt necessary.
