Gaugh!! Coach - can you maybe coach a little?

[110]

I know we are often irked by coaches, and the lack of knowledge they continually exhibit, but today, was one of those days.

Bantam game - head coach of one team doesn't understand that if his team has option in first half and opts to kick, well, his team may well be kicking again at the second half.

Neither coach could grasp why we were throwing flags. I mean, there were six guys on the line, right? I think we had maybe a dozen such flags. Seriously?

Yeah, I'm Canadian and we have a rouge. But find me any level of ball where a punt into the endzone, with no turnovers, triggers a kickoff. Coach wanted a kickoff. Really wanted a kickoff. "Don't we have a choice?"

On the way home, I realized I was cranky. I put a finger on it... I last saw my wife at noon. It will be 9 p.m. when I get home. I've done one game in a POURING downpour, travelled to a second, worked that in the rain, too. The least these kids deserve is a coaching staff that's gonna teach 'em the rules (Yes, coach, we have a problem with #56 on the end of the line. No, coach, the tackle can't catch a pass) so that we don't have to throw meaningless, ticky-tack, proceural flags and be yelled at for stalling the game.

If you cared as much as you should, coach, and maybe tried to listen to us when we explained why we're flagging you AGAIN, maybe things would be better, huh?

[HLinNC]

Bless volunteers, but the dedication to learn what it is you are volunteering for is sorely lacking these days.

My son is on his middle school's 7&8th grade this year.  While not all of the coaches are on the teaching staff, the volunteer coaches have played HS ball at a minumum and some in college.  One is actually communting home from a college nearly two hours away just to assist this season.

I wouldn't let him play youth ball after some of the behaviors I have witnessed and lack of experience/knowledge/common sense I observe.  Add some HS coaches I respect that had similar opinions expressed to me and I am happy with my decision.

He is starting at WR and his team is 4-1 and just gave up their first points in the loss last Thursday.  The bulk of the coaching staff are young men looking to get their start in coaching/teaching.  They've made some mistakes and I have tried to help them with rules when they have a question.  Fortunately, none of them have asked the questions you have dealt with.

[AFSST]

Neither coach could grasp why we were throwing flags. I mean, there were six guys on the line, right? I think we had maybe a dozen such flags. Seriously?

I'm not familiar with the Canadian Bantam age group.  I'm wondering why you would throw a dozen flags for illegal formation.  I wasn't there, so I can't know...I can only say when officiating Middle School or Junior High I tell my wings to hold flags for having five in the backfield and "put money in the bank" with the coaches.  The coaches often will have only a handful of practices with kids that are in their first year of football, AND many of the kids are scared to death and can't really think straight.

If I'm a wing, and my receiver has only a tackle inside and wants to be in the backfield and I see 4 other players already in the backfield, I put him on the line.  If the TE is on my side and my receiver wants to be on the line, I say "you're in the backfield" and try to get him back.  If a covered receiver goes downfield for a pass and he's guarded by a defender, I let it go.  We're talking 12-14 year old kids. 

The defense is not knowledgeable enough to understand a covered lineman is not an eligible receiver.  There is no intent to deceive, so I want my wings to pass on throwing a rag.

[James]

I'm with AFSST - in that I don't know about your league, and also that I would try ma hardest to leave the flag and tell the coach (many times) to talk to his backs and have them learn where they are starting. Around here we get a lot of people involved that have VERY limited knowledge of the rule (and sometimes of the game at all).

One exception - we had one coach who was specifically trying to push the rules about what makes a lineman, by having his tackles off the line, and hold hand forward to break the plane of the center's backside. After 2 warnings to the coach (where he told me, no - they were lining up how he wanted and he will not correct it) and 2 to the player on my side, I threw 3 flags in a row and got the players up on the line for the rest of the game.
The coach doesn't like me anymore 

[110]

I'm wondering why you would throw a dozen flags for illegal formation. 

That's what the coaches were wondering, too. Vociferously. Meanwhile, there were four officials, at one time, going "I need an end. I need an end. Blue, we need seven players on the line. Who's coming up?"

And we let about a dozen plays go, too.

We spoke to coaches, we spoke to captains, we killed the clock and had a coaching session.

And nobody seemed to give a damn.

[Roscoe]

We recently had a coach that didn't understand his formations. He was running trips with one receiver off the line and the other REALLY off the line. He thought that just because one receiver was in front of the other receiver that he was on the line. His receivers would never check in with us but they finally did after a few flags.

[ECILLJ]

"Bantam game - head coach of one team doesn't understand that if his team has option in first half and opts to kick, well, his team may well be kicking again at the second half."

Illinois' Head Clinician has told us to offer Receive or Defer (not kick) as options. The reasoning is that you do not want to start the game off on the wrong foot with a team that misunderstood kick is not the same as defer.

[bama_stripes]

Illinois' Head Clinician has told us to offer Receive or Defer (not kick) as options.

This.

[Rulesman]

Wouldn't it be prudent to get the preferred choice(s) from the bantam coach prior to lugging the captain(s) out to mid-field? Seems like preventive officiating to me...

[Gtesli]

I remember a coin toss from my playing days where we won, defered and their captained opted to kick. The R and I both responded "You're kidding, right?" "No, our kicker is damned good" R: "No, seriously. You want to receive..." "No, we want to kick" Me: "NO, you want the ball" "No, our kicker is awesome" R:"Okay..." I tell our coach, we line up for onside. Kick goes deep, probably only kick I've seen go into the EZ in Norway. We get the ball om on our 20. They never got to receive... I still remember the jaws dropping, both from the crew and my team. 

[Wettstein]

Bless volunteers, but the dedication to learn what it is you are volunteering for is sorely lacking these days.

I totally agree with you.  I am a volunteer and I spend several hours on clincs every year in addtion to spending my own money buying and studying football and rules. I always buy new rule books and review any modifcation each year.  Even though I volunteer and get no reimbusement whatsoever, I still feel I owe it to the game of football to do the best I can.

Part of that goes to my frustration with officials who are paid and show no dedication to learn what it is they are working for.  We often have officals who feel their job is to "even" up the game and control it rather than officate it.  Just this past Saturday, we had a intentional grounding call without a loss of down, a block in the back that was overturned because on second thought it wasn't bad enough (is that like instant replay?), two miscalls on fumbles, and a miscounting of time outs in the second half.  And that was a good game.

It would be nice if we could pair the dedicated volunteered coaches who know the game and rules, with the paid compentant officials.  But alas, I guess we have to bless the non-dedicated paid officials as well.

[yarnnelg]

When I coached baseball, I taught my kids the basics of the rule book. I knew the book better than the people officiating the game .....

When I Officiated Football, coaches were indeed the problem. Confusing Federation, NCAA and NFL rules. One night after a day of being beat up by a staff that just had no clue, the Head Coach sat down to discuss the first game. "I am a new coach, and am quite confused" I explained that he should regroup. "You have a talented team. By the end of the third quarter they were convinced that the refs were cheating, because your staff did nothing but crawl the officials all day long. You are doing this for the joy of teaching kids. Get off the Officials backs. Some of these guys are learning just as you are. Relax, enjoy the game, strive to make your kids better each week. You cannot control what is called or not called. You cannot change an official's mind. Just teach your kids how to rebound, how to get back up and try again. In the ned, you lose the stress, you enjoy the game and the achievement of your kids." At the end of the season, we are in the Offial's tent preparing to take the field in the Championship Game of an older division. The coach recognizes me from our first week discussion and comes to shake my hand. "We just won our Championship, I want to thank you for your advise the first week. I called my staff together on Sunday after that game. I told them what you had explained. We decided to leave the Refs alone and work on our team. We went undefeated from that moment to the end of the season. I actually enjoyed coaching and the kids loved playing." "I didn't do anything coach. You did it all and I congratulate your team for it's accomplishments. Remember to stay humble and that you no longer block, throw or catch, the players do that, you cannot win without well taught, well disciplined players." "And remember to thank the offiails every once in a while"

[JasonTX]

It would be nice if we could pair the dedicated volunteered coaches who know the game and rules,.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.  Oh, wait, it's just another dang train.  We have volunteer coaches at the little league levels but they don't know anything about the game or the rules.  Instead of teaching the little kids the values of life that can be gained from the game, they are more concerned about their own self.  They spend more time setting a poor example for the kids by the constant belittling of officials.  Around here we teach kids to respect people in an authority position.  We teach them to play through adversity.  We don't teach them to disrespect officials.  We teach them to always assume the officials are right.  Our officials are some of the most dedicated.  The pay they receive is less than what it costs them to travel.  If that's not dedicated I don't know what is.   

[ECILLJ]

Some helpful advice to the beginning officials on this web site. Don't get disheartened by an upset coach.  Most coaches will say something during a game that may raise the hair on your neck. Let them vent a little, but don't let them cross the line with profanity toward you or with a comment that questions your integrity. They have a job to do and it is just as stressful (maybe more stressful) than our job. As far as coaches who have no business coaching kids. They are not going away and it is not our job to judge them. It is our job to officiate the game. Keep your heads up. The sport needs all of you.

[AlUpstateNY]

Wouldn't it be prudent to get the preferred choice(s) from the bantam coach prior to lugging the captain(s) out to mid-field? Seems like preventive officiating to me...

Not that it's a bad idea to double check with a coach prior to the coin toss, or other decisions made during a game with younger players, but there is a certain protocol spelled out, fairly directly, in the NFHS rules.

NFHS: 2-32-5 advises: " A captain of a team is a player designated to represent his team during:

a. The pregame and overtime coin toss (Limit of 4 Captains in game uniform)

b. The selection of 2nd half options.

c. Penalty decisions following a foul.

d. Ball placement on a try, a kickoff, after a safety, after a fair catch or awarded FC, after a touchback and to start an overtime.

Part of the lessons taught/learned through our game is that cartain participants are afforded, or at least should be afforded, an extra measure of earned respect.  That should apply to Coaches, Officials and Team Captains.  Ignoring a Captain, when seeking a decision the Captain is designated to make, although at times can seem practical is actually depriving a Captain of the respect his position calls for.

Advising, and to some extent encouraging a coach's input in game decision making, can prevent unnecessary misunderstandings and can be accomplished a varirty of ways without excluding, or ignoring, the Captain and his responsibilities.

[Rulesman]

Not that it's a bad idea to double check with a coach prior to the coin toss, or other decisions made during a game with younger players...

It is a common, and universally accepted, practice for officials to get these decisions directly from the coach. I call it preventive officiating and it's done at all levels of play, right up to the big boys. After all, who do you think the captains are looking at when you are standing there explaining the options? It is certainly not the guy in the striped shirt and white hat.