Hat Mechanics - Would there ever be a reason...

[TXMike]

To throw your hat INTO the end zone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34WzAWqI_SM

[dvasques]

I was wondering that at the time...
Another player stepped out of the back of the endzone and that's why the hat. But why in the field of play or the endzone?

[Rulesman]

Seems to me like a bean bag could accomplish the same thing. I've never understood the thinking behind dropping a hat.

[El Macman]

Seems to me like a bean bag could accomplish the same thing. I've never understood the thinking behind dropping a hat.

The hat clearly distiguishes a player stepping OB, as opposed to a fumble or backward pass. That's it.

[cincybearcat]

I've never seen anyone throw their hat into the field of play...they always teach us you don't even need to "throw" the hat...you can just drop it...the spot istn't important...

[Tieron]

yeah ...that's probably the first time i've seen a hat being thrown inside the field...let alone the endzone... 

[TampaSteve]

Yeah, I saw this (obviously, look @ my name).  Scratched my head why the hat was tossed on to the field.

[110]

The hat was tossed into the field of play because the replacement ref believed the puck had been tipped out of the field of play.

[Osric Pureheart]

If only officials carried some small, unobtrusive, yet visible item that could be dropped instead of a hat!

[110]

If only officials carried some small, unobtrusive, yet visible item that could be dropped instead of a hat!

I use a beanbag for secondary fouls, if I have 'em. Rare event. Don't like the "striptease" of throwing clothing items into the muck ...

[Morningrise]

I've never approved of the hat mechanic. It's part of the uniform, not a piece of equipment. Indicating information by tossing/dropping an item is exactly the reason (among others) why beanbags were invented. I don't agree that using a different item, for distinguishing between receivers OOB and other events, is needed. Beanbags already carry numerous meanings, and coaches/fans/film understand this. But in truth, we needn't drop anything at all. The spot is never relevant. A mere hand signal would suffice. That's what we do when a pass is tipped, for instance. The "pass touched" hand signal indicates that an event has changed which rules apply. Likewise, a "receiver OOB" hand signal would accomplish the same thing.

[Welpe]

I use a beanbag for secondary fouls, if I have 'em. Rare event. Don't like the "striptease" of throwing clothing items into the muck ...

I use a back pocket flag though that's not approved everywhere.