Mouths of Coaches 2010

[rickref]

Well assistant coach slash statistician - "Can you tell me why the clock did not run after the false start with 26 seconds left? Thats just poor."

Me ' Whats your stats say when they took a time out coach? '

coach ' 26 seconds.'

me ' Then whats it say?'

coach 'false start then a run. Why did the clock not start?'

Me ' Coach clock was stopped for a time out and has yet to be put into play prior to the false start.'

coach '(disgruntled) Oh.'

[VALJ]

Had one like that last night. 

"Why isn't the clock running?" 
"Because the runner was out of bounds." 

(Unspoken: "When he landed right at your feet in the team box, coach.")

[fbrefga]

Last Friday's HS game:  home team commits a false start with 3:59 remaining in 4th quarter.  Coach calls a timeout and wants a conference with me.  My LJ goes with me to the coach.

Me:      Yes sir?
Coach:  The defense is calling our signals.  That's why we got the false start.
Me:      No, I have not heard the defense calling signals.  My umpire will flag it if he hears it.  I will check with him, but we have not heard them calling the signals.
Coach:  (in a condescending voice) That would be right because you haven't seen anything tonight.

Flag is out and I proceed to my umpire.  We assess the penalty.  After the game, my LJ tells me that the coach asked him what he did to deserve the flag.  My LJ said "It was what you said and the way you said it."

The home team won the game but the losing coach runs to me and my umpire immediately after the game and stated that he is appreciative in having my crew work the game and thought we did a great job. 

[Wettstein]

So I'm confused....

The home team made a comment that you flagged him for...

The home team won...

The home team asked what the flag was for after the game...

The home team thanked you for your work...

Right?  Was tghat the only comment he made during the game - or were there several more?

[fbrefga]

So I'm confused....

The home team made a comment that you flagged him for...

The home team won...

The home team asked what the flag was for after the game...

The home team thanked you for your work...

Right?  Was tghat the only comment he made during the game - or were there several more?


The home team head coach made the comment in a very condescending tone.    As the umpire and I were assessing the penalty, the head coach asked the LJ what he did to deserve the flag.  The LJ told him.  The visiting coach (losing coach) thanked us for our efforts.

Criticism from coaches are part of the game.  However, this coach crossed the line; and he knew it.

[Rulesman]

From a girl's basketball coach just after her assistant gets rung up: "Doesn't he get a warning?"

Official: "He sure does, coach. He does it again and he's gone."

I'm sitting about 3 rows behind the bench laughing my IDIOT off. I would have never believed the story had I not heard it myself.

[busman]

Reminds me of the Field of Dreams scene:

Moonlight Graham, after picking himself up from dodging a bean ball, "Hey ump, how about a warning?"

Umpire, "Ok.  Watchout you don't get killed next time."

[Mike L]

proving you can't assume they're all dumb.....

I'm LJ in 7 man, pass is to TE over the middle who "looks" like he might have got bumped (I didn't see the whole thing so what do I know) but no flag comes out. My sideline is upset over no call and....

Asst Coach loudly to me, "you didn't see that hold?!?"

Head Coach to asst, "leave him alone. It's not his job, he's watching our back out here in the flat. The TE is the BJ's job."

[KB]

We do have an Austrian coach over here who spent (and spends) quite some time with officials during the offseason, attending clinics, evening meetings and the like.
He started as a youth coach at his organisation and then was made HC of the seniors team. This year, he has become the first Austrian (non-American, non-Canadian) HC to lead his team to the national title in decades.

And yeah, you guessed right: the opposing teams always accuse the officials to be biased, when in fact it is just his superior knowledge of what is going on inside an officials head and what will be called and what not that makes his team have less penalties.

Cooperation beats confrontation in the long run.

[Chester]

Reminds me of the Field of Dreams scene:

Moonlight Graham, after picking himself up from dodging a bean ball, "Hey ump, how about a warning?"

Umpire, "Ok.  Watchout you don't get killed next time."

My third favorite movie of all time behind, Rocky and Braveheart. 

[LarryW60]

"If you say, 'Yo, Wallace!', he will come." 

[Chester]

  Very nice. 

[BIG DON]

High School Rules:
Not from a Coach but from the fans of a game.
The home team scored and went for 2 the running back was hit at the one yard line and kept driving before he crossed the goal line he fumbled the ball.  THe ball went into the endzone and the runner fell on the ball in the endzone for 2.

Some loud mouth yelled as we line up for the kick off saying you suck refs we are not dumb we know the rules and you cant fumble forward 

[LarryW60]

Yeah.  As much as you'd LIKE to stop and illuminate just how much of the rules these loudmouths know, a.) there's no time for that, and b.) doing so will only encourage them more because now they've inserted themselves into the game "action" - making them a star to the other fans.

[TxJugster]

Not from a coach but from a first year official

At half time we were talking about how most teams defer their option till the second half (I would say 75% do).

Me: Well they do that so they get the ball first in the second half
First Year Official: Why don't they just select Kick?
Me: (with curious look) this isn't Madden
FYO: (Excited) You play Madden? PS3? What is your online name?

We explained to him the difference between real life and Madden and why the coach would never want to kick but I giggled at his response. 

[busman]

But 5 years ago the home team chose to kick.  We tried everything we could to talk the player out of it, but he was insistent.  So, they kicked off.  In the second half, the home coach asked me "What end are we receiving from?"  Well, Coach, ....

So,out of his mouth (Wait for it) "It's impossible to kickoff  both halves."

So now, that conference does the toss 45 minutes before game time with the coaches.

[BIG DON]

here is another on from a playoff game that  I worked  Home team is lined up in free kick formation and they pooch kick the ball.  R 1 signals  for a fair catch he gives a great signal. R 2 makes the catch.  Home team head coach is now throwing a fit that he cant do that because R 2 was not the one that called for the fair catch He said that is a illegal fair catch and we want to kick the ball over again that is when one of the assistant coach popped up and said coach he is not afforded the protection and when he caught the ball the play is over  

[bama_stripes]

Not from a coach but from a first year official

At half time we were talking about how most teams defer their option till the second half (I would say 75% do).

Me: Well they do that so they get the ball first in the second half
First Year Official: Why don't they just select Kick?
Me: (with curious look) this isn't Madden
FYO: (Excited) You play Madden? PS3? What is your online name?

We explained to him the difference between real life and Madden and why the coach would never want to kick but I giggled at his response. 

As crazy as this may seem, this very thing happened to Nebraska earlier this year.  And yes, they kicked off both halves.

[Frank in FL]

Couple of weeks ago coach lets kicker use a drop kick for the try.  Guy holding the box tells the wing that the coach looked it up and said they'd get 2 points for a drop kick on an extra point and 4 points for a field goal using a drop kick. Good thing he missed it.  Oh, and they lost the game by one point.  Karma?

[secondeagle]

Must have been looking at sixman exceptions. Ha

[Aussie-Zebra]

As crazy as this may seem, this very thing happened to Nebraska earlier this year.  And yes, they kicked off both halves.

Was doing a U19 game last weekend and at the toss I asked the Cpt (about 16yo) what he wanted to do and he said "we'll kick" and being juniors I said "No you don't really want to do that" and he said "No we want to kick" so I asked the Coach "and he said "we'll kick". I explained he'd be kicking both halves and he said "yeah I know - we want to try some Def. plays"

So it does happen.

[AlUpstateNY]

Was doing a U19 game last weekend and at the toss I asked the Cpt (about 16yo) what he wanted to do and he said "we'll kick" and being juniors I said "No you don't really want to do that" and he said "No we want to kick" so I asked the Coach "and he said "we'll kick". I explained he'd be kicking both halves and he said "yeah I know - we want to try some Def. plays"
So it does happen.

A very successful, long time (now retired) Head High School coach always chose to Kick off.  When asked, he claimed he tracked statistics that showed the starting on defense most often helped him with a better field position. 

He claimed young men are better prepared to play defense at the start of a game, than warming up with offense.

[saofficial(aust)]

well had a lot of classic comments this weekend but 2 really stand out.

first was a forward pass that fell short of the LOS - apperently the ball is still live if it hits the ground behind the LOS and anyone can recover it.

the second was a little more complex for a captain to understand as it involved a score, penalty and end of half timing. it just took too much brain power for them to get it. last play of the half and team A have 5 in the backfield. flag thrown by LJ. time expires and score TD is made.
we strongly advise team B to accept the penalty and replay the down but no they dont want to play another down so then they should decline the penalty and Team A score but they were penalised so cant score they say, yes but you have to accept the penalty and replay the down for a live ball. Why do we have to replay the down? then another official chimed in because time expired. Capt said 'Oh i get it now.'

next time just tell them the choices and let them truly decide without influence. penalty declined and then Team A can score and we can all go inside for half time.

[VALinesman]

well had a lot of classic comments this weekend but 2 really stand out.

first was a forward pass that fell short of the LOS - apperently the ball is still live if it hits the ground behind the LOS and anyone can recover it.

the second was a little more complex for a captain to understand as it involved a score, penalty and end of half timing. it just took too much brain power for them to get it. last play of the half and team A have 5 in the backfield. flag thrown by LJ. time expires and score TD is made.
we strongly advise team B to accept the penalty and replay the down but no they dont want to play another down so then they should decline the penalty and Team A score but they were penalised so cant score they say, yes but you have to accept the penalty and replay the down for a live ball. Why do we have to replay the down? then another official chimed in because time expired. Capt said 'Oh i get it now.'

next time just tell them the choices and let them truly decide without influence. penalty declined and then Team A can score and we can all go inside for half time.

That's why, in cases like that, I ask for B captain and tell him to say 'no'. Works every time. Most of the time they know why....

[saofficial(aust)]

we did that and they still wanted to choose even to the point of arguing at half time. it was hugely painful.