Spotting the ball in the era of covid-19.

[refjeff]

In Ohio,  The officials will have limited contact with the ball.  The players of the offensive team will handle the ball and take it with them to the huddle.  The Umpire will place a bean bag at the spot where the ball will be snapped.

Discuss among yourselves.

[HLinNC]

I guess it follows along with this "happy horsepoo".  Embrace change blah, blah, blah.  I feel like I'm stuck in an area staff meeting which is sad because I retired almost two years ago.

 https://www.nfhs.org/articles/embracing-change-is-crucial-in-restarting-high-school-sports-performing-arts

[Etref]

So let me get this straight"......

U puts down a bean bag, snapper takes ball and brings back ball placing at/ near bean bag.

Does the U then get down in the face of snapper to retrieve bean bag???

Dumb

[bbeagle]

After each play, does the snapper have to go get the ball? Will ball boys help him retrieve the ball? Will there be a lot of situations where, as we aren't supposed to touch the ball, will be asking players to pick the ball up and give it to someone on their team? Might have to stop the clock a lot when nobody gets the ball and we're ready to hike the ball.

Can the snapper hold the ball until everyone is set, then place the ball down and hike it in 1 second? Will this cause confusion with the defense? When is the 'ready for play' since the whistle for ready for play has been changed last year?

Does the umpire have to go back to the original line of scrimmage to pick his bean bag up after the play is over? What if it's a 20 yard play? Will it take some time for these unathletic umpires to go get it 20 yards away, come back to the new spot of the ball and place a beanbag down again?

How do referees signal end of the half? Are we doing a measurement by bringing the chains out to a bean bag or foot of a linesman?

It will be interesting.

[HLinNC]

Weighty questions for sure. 

As a wing do I tell the kid "Naw, take it with you" after a 40 yard pass?
After a punt will the R be kind enough to pick up U's bag on the way down?
On a first down, the :40 is supposed to start when the U places the ball down and steps into position.  Now what?  The poor PCO's were just learning that mechanic.

[refjeff]

At the end of almost every play an offensive player has the ball in his hands.  He will take it back to the huddle and give it to the center.    I'll bet most football players already do something similar in practice every day.  The players will have an easier time adjusting to this than officials.

In sub-varsity games where we only have 4 or 3 officials and never have ball boys we do not chase incomplete passes.  Sometimes we have to remind them "We need the ball" but a player is usually close to the ball on the ground.  This will slow the game down.

On a COP we might end up with the ball in our hands, but there is almost always an opponent nearby and we can point and say, "Give the ball to him."

And no we are going to pick up the bean bag before the snap.  Retrieving it after every play is going to be a giant pain in the butt though.

[Tom.OH]

Could the U just put his foot where the ball will be snapped. No bean bag to pick up...

[AlUpstateNY]

How about buying a box of rubber gloves?  They're really cheap, will last far beyond. a full season. (If you ever have to carve a turkey, or a roast, or break down chop meat into great burgers, they eliminate clean up.)

[HLinNC]

Ever worn rubber gloves?  There are varying degrees of thickness.  Some wouldn't last through a quarter.  Your hands would be massively hot and sweaty.  I imagine the amount of moisture build-up would get pretty uncomfortable.

The cheap gloves the state bought us to wear to conduct drug tests would sometimes rip pulling them on or off.

I imagine football receiver gloves would work but the individual would need to remove them and place them in a plastic bag and then commit to cleaning them upon returning home. 

We aren't working in a sterile environment and some of the things we are doing in society now in the end really don't amount to much once you consider clean-up and disposal.

[refjeff]

Weighty questions for sure. 

As a wing do I tell the kid "Naw, take it with you" after a 40 yard pass?

Absolutely.  They do it in practice now.

After a punt will the R be kind enough to pick up U's bag on the way down?

  I will.

On a first down, the :40 is supposed to start when the U places the ball down and steps into position.  Now what?  The poor PCO's were just learning that mechanic.

The game clock started when the U stepped away after a first down, not the play clock, and in reality the GCO should have been looking at the R to wind it, not at the U.   

[refjeff]

How about buying a box of rubber gloves?  They're really cheap, will last far beyond. a full season. (If you ever have to carve a turkey, or a roast, or break down chop meat into great burgers, they eliminate clean up.)

  You don't absorb covid-19 through your skin.  The problem is touching your face, or your whistle, after you touch the ball.

[refjeff]

Could the U just put his foot where the ball will be snapped. No bean bag to pick up...

Unless the offense is in "hurry-up" that seems like a very reasonable mechanic to me.  Especially in sub-varsity game with less than a five man crew.  Chasing that BB is going to be a pain and slow us down.



 

 

[NVFOA_Ump]

  You don't absorb covid-19 through your skin.  The problem is touching your face, or your whistle, after you touch the ball.

Shouldn't have to worry about the whistle since I'm hearing that standard whistles won't be allowed and we'll all be using push button electronic whistles? 

[JasonTX]

So are you guys going to have players spot the ball when a measurement will be needed? 

[BIG UMP]

Shouldn't have to worry about the whistle since I'm hearing that standard whistles won't be allowed and we'll all be using push button electronic whistles?

Electronic whistles are reportedly going to be in short supply.  TN has stated standard whistles are fine.

[refjeff]

Shouldn't have to worry about the whistle since I'm hearing that standard whistles won't be allowed and we'll all be using push button electronic whistles?

Ohio covid rules allow electronic whistles, but they're not required. 

I bought a finger whistle.  That should help.

[refjeff]

So are you guys going to have players spot the ball when a measurement will be needed?

Yes, and have members of the visiting team bring out and stretch the chains.   

[JasonTX]

Yes, and have members of the visiting team bring out and stretch the chains.   

That will work too.   

[CalhounLJ]

  You don't absorb covid-19 through your skin.  The problem is touching your face, or your whistle, after you touch the ball.

Begging your pardon, but if that's true, then just take away the U's whistle and tell him/her not to touch their face.

[Etref]

Begging your pardon, but if that's true, then just take away the U's whistle and tell him/her not to touch their face.

My thought is, if we are changing all protocols, mechanics, rules, etc just to justify having a season,,,,WHY BOTHER?

[Magician]

On a first down, the :40 is supposed to start when the U places the ball down and steps into position.  Now what?  The poor PCO's were just learning that mechanic.

I hope you mean game clock and not play clock. And it starts by the referees's signal and not the umpire action. The R could start it before or after the ball is even place in many occasions.

How about buying a box of rubber gloves?  They're really cheap, will last far beyond. a full season. (If you ever have to carve a turkey, or a roast, or break down chop meat into great burgers, they eliminate clean up.)

Gloves won't do any good unless you are going to replace them after every time you touch something. You could potentially transfer the virus if it got on your gloves and then touched your face. The general belief now is touch transfer is much less likely. It would make much more sense to just have some hand sanitizer for extra precaution but even that is not critical.

Ohio covid rules allow electronic whistles, but they're not required. 

I bought a finger whistle.  That should help.

How will a finger whistle help? You are still bringing your hand to your face which is the concern with the mouth whistle.

I'm glad our state has said nobody but the officials will be spotting the ball. All the questions raised here are good reasons why it doesn't make sense. They are going to limit the number of balls that can be used and recommend a couple cleaning techniques to use on the sidelines. But in general the guidance they are getting from the state board of health is the ball is very unlikely to be a spreader of the virus.

[bama_stripes]

Begging your pardon, but if that's true, then just take away the U's whistle and tell him/her not to touch their face.

What do you want him to do on kickoffs(5-man)?

[TxSkyBolt]

It's all make believe. There will be no football played this year.


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[CalhounLJ]

What do you want him to do on kickoffs(5-man)?

I don't know, just wave his arms and let somebody else blow the whistle. And still don't touch his face.

[Etref]

It's all make believe. There will be no football played this year.


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Think you may be correct, Sky