Receiver OB, long advance for first down

[ElvisLives]

What’s a crew (of 5) to do?

1/10, A-30.  A88 gets blocked OB.  H, quite properly, drops his hat.  Legal forward pass is caught by A90, and advanced to the B-20, inbounds.  Play clock (40) correctly starts.  H hesitates to release chain crew, while he is hustling back to pick up his hat.  H releases chain crew and retrieves his hat, but is 30 yards behind the succeeding spot as Team A is approaching the line (ball has been spotted, but R has not started the game clock).  Team A wants to be able to snap, but H is not in position to officiate.

R interrupts play clock while H gets back into position (and, coincidentally, the chains get to the succeeding spot).  When H gets set (with hat 🙂) R sets play clock to 25, and starts both clocks.  Team A snaps the ball.  No complaint from anybody.

We simply can not allow a play to begin without all officials in position.  That supersedes Team A’s right to snap the ball quickly.

Robert

[Etref]

Happens frequently, sometimes with the bean bag which is not critical. Many times the B has one a long way away on a kick return.

If o2o is available maybe the R can retrieve but your scenario is sound. Wait on the RFP until everyone is in place

[ElvisLives]

Happens frequently, sometimes with the bean bag which is not critical. Many times the B has one a long way away on a kick return.

But that would only be after a long punt or fumble return, and the RFP (and starting the play clock) would be on the R’s signal.  The issue is only when we have an automatically started 40-second play clock and RFP is supposed to be quickly after play clock starts (target by 32 second mark of play clock).

Robert

[Etref]

True

[Kalle]

Our mechanics clearly state that the C/U is not to make the ball ready for play if any official is out of position to officiate for the next down, and I fully agree with that.

[NVFOA_Ump]

We simply can not allow a play to begin without all officials in position.  That supersedes Team A’s right to snap the ball quickly.

Agreed, 100% of the time.  We cannot knowingly allow the ball to be snapped until all officials are ready to officiate.

[clearwall]

Offense does not dictate when the ball can be snapped, we do. They may B and whine and complain but too bad. You cant snap the ball before it's put on the ground by the C/U and this is the same kind of thing. The game is not ready to be officiated so cannot be put in play.