chain crew

[jodibuck]

Varsity game.  Home team head coach is advised during the coach's conference with referee to provide line-to-gain crew twenty minutes prior to kick-off.  Nobody shows at the twenty minute mark (not unusual in our area), so we remind the coach.  No chain crew at coin toss, no chain crew at end of national anthem.  We ended up getting three football officials from our association, who were at the game watching, to work the chains.  The opening kick-off is delayed about 10 minutes.

My question is: Should we have flagged the home team for unsporting conduct for delaying the start of the game?  Has anyone else had this happen in a VARSITY GAME? 

[FLAHL]

I've had chain crews that caused a lot of grief, but I've never not had a chain crew at all for a varsity game. You may have been much better off with the guys from your assn. I would have flagged for Delay of Game at least.

[AlUpstateNY]

As we've all been advised, SOMETIMES, "discretion is the better part of valor".  The Home Team is responsible for providing a Chain Crew, a lot of what happens next is dependent on how much effort the Home Team actually put into adhering to the requests for rounding up a chain crew.

If they (not necessarily the HC himself) put reasonable effort into getting a crew, a suggestion about pre-planning and an explanation to the (reasonable) Visiting Team, who may have empathy and understanding of the Home Team's embarrassment, may prove sufficient and avoid any penalty consequences.

If the Home Team (including the Head Coach) blew off the requests, and offered little or no assistance in securing a chain crew, NFHS: 9-8-1-g-2 is an UNC, 15 yard foul. NFHS: 3-6-2-f is a DOG, 5 yd foul, both of which are available to the Referee.

It boils down to deciding if winning a skirmish, is worth creating a war. (sometimes yes, sometimes no)

[HLinNC]

You can, but do you really, really want to?

[yarnnelg]

Good Schools, the coach will let you know he has a chain crew immediately. Better schools, the Athletic Director will let you know. Better schools, the crew you've seen for ten years will be there asking where you're dang chain clip is.

If you are the Head Linesman and have no chain crew, why in the world are you escorting Captains to the center of the field? Never seen the White Hat flip a coin before ?

[SCHSref]

Not a Varsity game, but we had a crew leave at halftime.  Coach look bewildered and we told him o get a crew.  We started the second half without one .  It was interesting marking first downs, but a crew magically appeared when the coach had no clue what was the distance to go for the line to ga in.

[Curious]

Be happy you had officials available to work the change.  Penalizing the team, IMHO, does nothing for a smooth game thereafter - nor is there any rule support.

The HC is not responsible to make sure a chain crew is around - the Home Team Management is. The HC has enough to do.  Would you flag the team if the clock operator is late?

Suggestion: let the State Office know if you're so up-set about a 10 minute delay or if the HT Mgmt gives you unnecessary "grief".  But, as I've said before, "avoid the ridiculous call"!

 

[Martin Kiff]

If you've been doing this a while you have seen it all, as far as chain crews go.  From kids on detention to Jennifer Montana (We set a record with 12 measurements on a turf field) to confrontational parents and lets not forget my favorite,  the guy that actually yelled "Pass" when he overheard the play call.  I've learned to constantly engage them and really make them feel like part of the crew.  As a rule, invite them to join you at half time, always be positive,  please and thank you them to death, learn right away which player they are related to and make sure they have fun. 
When they don't show up, we flip the coin, send the Captains off and wait in the middle of the field.  No flags.  Its not the coaches or players fault. They will eventually show up. 
The better the teams game management,  the better the team.  And the opposite is always true.
Mechanically,  when Jennifer Montana is on the chain crew you are required to turn your back to the field between and during the down.

[bkdow]

My crew last week said that they had to "fire" a guy because he was doing hand signals to someone on the home team sideline.  Fortunately they caught him early in the act.

[NorCalMike]

We fired a whole chain crew a couple of years back because of inappropriate comments made the visiting team. Got three parents from the visitors team to work the chains.

At this same school I have had to have visitors help with the chain crew because the home team was unable to staff it. No one would volunteer.

[Kevin Durst]

Martin - do you have a picture of this Jennifer Montana you can share with us?

[Patrick E.]

Martin - do you have a picture of this Jennifer Montana you can share with us?

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/01/joe-montana-beast-mode/montana

[Ralph Damren]

 IMHO, this is a home team management issue and ,as in American Pie..." ...The players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to leave..." should be a DOG charged to home team management. Coaches have many pregame duties and rounding up a chain crew should not be one of them.

[Atlanta Blue]

" ...The players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to leave...YIELD"

Fixed it.

[GAHSUMPIRE]

We fired a whole chain crew a couple of years back because of inappropriate comments made the visiting team. Got three parents from the visitors team to work the chains.

At this same school I have had to have visitors help with the chain crew because the home team was unable to staff it. No one would volunteer.

I've had to replace chain crew members who were drunk before the game, and some who were drinking DURING the game.

But to answer the original question, as with many other situations, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I wouldn't do it, and I wouldn't want me crew to do it. I would try to work with them to resolve the situation, and put it in my game report, but flagging this seems counter-productive.

Just my opinion.

[NWA_UMP]

Never had an issue with Varsity game not having a crew...JV game is a totally different story! The biggest issue I have had with chain crew was a game where we had a State evaluator watching us. My umpire keeps his book in his shirt pocket and it fell out while he was setting the ball. The next day I get a call from our Association Pres about my crew using a cell phone on the field! The chain crew didn't like the way we called a late hit out of bounds against the home team and they called the State Activities Association to lodge a complaint...I had to get the State evaluator who was grading us in the mix to sort it out. Needless to say, I wasn't happy!

[bigjohn]

I watched the crew last week eyeball the clip. Every time they moved the chains, they stayed at 2 yards from field and just guessed where the clip needed to be. Aren't they supposed to set the chains on the sideline, set the clip then move 2 yards back?

[Atlanta Blue]

I watched the crew last week eyeball the clip. Every time they moved the chains, they stayed at 2 yards from field and just guessed where the clip needed to be. Aren't they supposed to set the chains on the sideline, set the clip then move 2 yards back?

On a really well marked field, the 5 yard marks are also on the back of the 2 yard belt.

[VALJ]

On a really well marked field, the 5 yard marks are also on the back of the 2 yard belt.

Just another reason to love the occasional game played on a college field.  Had one last week where my partner on the chains was able to work the whole game without the chain crew ever setting foot in the field of play, between the 5 yard marks 2 yards off and the tick marks running down the hashes..

[AlUpstateNY]

Never had an issue with Varsity game not having a crew...JV game is a totally different story! The biggest issue I have had with chain crew was a game where we had a State evaluator watching us. My umpire keeps his book in his shirt pocket and it fell out while he was setting the ball. The next day I get a call from our Association Pres about my crew using a cell phone on the field! The chain crew didn't like the way we called a late hit out of bounds against the home team and they called the State Activities Association to lodge a complaint...I had to get the State evaluator who was grading us in the mix to sort it out. Needless to say, I wasn't happy!

It's nice to remember, sometimes, that football games can actually be fun events.  Back in the 80s, Hamilton College (Utica area: ECAC Div III) rotated Chain Crew assignments to their Fraternities, who usually did a very professional job, in costume.  Two I really recall was one chain crew dressed as the "3 little pigs", with the down box holder dressed in a Wolf costume, and the other 3 dressed in pig costumes.

The other was a crew dressed as a wedding party, with the box holder dressed in a full White gown, and everyone else in Tuxedos. Both games were played on beautiful, sunny Fall days surrounded by tall trees displaying their Fall foliage splendor. 

Strange, but I don't recall whether either game started exactly on time, or even who won.