Coach,
You had mentioned above that we were being unfair in saying, "Not sure that's really fair. Coaches that don't know the rules would be thrilled you are giving them this info, and would want you to do it." You are really being unfair above. Just because there are some officials who do not understand the rules or their role does not mean you can paint us all with the same "broad brush." Some of us spend countless hours studying the rules. To the point, that some of our "regular job" duties get pushed aside, and to the point that some family obligations are delayed or also "pushed to the side." Some of us run 3-5 miles every morning to make sure we are in shape come football season. That means through ice snow or whatever. I am well aware that coaches sacrifice a lot as well, and also spend countless hours doing what they do. For that I am grateful, as it is important for the game.
That is what I really care about the game. Personally, I have worked at the high school level and beyond (not much beyond, but beyond) for 24 years, and played for 12 years at the high school level and below. That means, I have been on the football field for 36 years every autumn. I do not expect a bozo button for this or even acknowledgement. However, I should not be lumped in with officials who do not care about the game or their interactions with coaches.
I respect the coaches to the utmost for what they do to advance our sport. They for the most part are wonderful people who are doing their best to win. That is their job.
I do not know you, but by you presence on this board, you seem to be in this group of coaches. You spend the time you need to spend working with the young men who play this game, and put in time studying the rules, and the strategies of the game. I respect you for this, and I am truly humbled that there are people like you out there.
That being said, this is a discussion board for officials, and there are young impressionable officials who come here for advice. Your advice on this topic will not help them get ahead in this business. In the instant example of a RTP call after a fair catch, your suggestion of not giving all of the options is totally unfair to the other team. Under the current rules the free kick is about the only way a team can get a chance to win the game if there are under 7 seconds or so on the clock with the clock running. If they try to get their field goal unit out, time will probably expire. Remember under the new rule from last year the only time there is an untimed down is when time expires during the down which the foul occurred (the language is different but you get the idea), the only exception is if the team fouled to conserve time (I cannot imagine a player committing a RTP to conserve time so I am not invoking this rule in this case).
So the only way A can score is by free kick because the clock will not start until the ball is legally touched (by the way that does not apply in NCAA because there is no free kick option after a fair catch anymore). In the higher levels, the Supervisors I know would be livid if you did not give the coach all the options, and they did not have the opportunity to win because their emotions were too high to realize their choices, they did not know their options, or whatever.
I do not want to put some young official in the position that they do not give a coach all the options because they read something on a discussion board. In my experience, it is almost one of the "cardinal sins" of officiating to let a team make a mistake because they did not know what the appropriate options are. This is not written anywhere, but I know from experience it is true.
There are times your comments are helpful because you are a coach who brings a different perspective, and I enjoy listening and taking what I can. That is dangerous for young officials who may read things here though, and do not have the experience to know what to discount. I appreciate your rules knowledge, and often you teach me things on this board. However, as Rulesman said previously, you are a coach and that causes you to think differently than us. That is good for the game, but not necessarily good on this board all of the time.
Thanks for reading this whole long rant.
