Could It Have Been Worked Differently?

[TXMike]

2 purposes for this clip.  1 - to demonstrate something our state HUDL guru from Houston has come up with for sharing play clips and notes; and 2 - Look for ideas on how the play could have been officiated better.  http://www.hudl.com/presview/296426   

(NOTE - You can get it to play in full screen by clicking on the four arrow point icon at bottom right)

[DallasLJ]

Unfortunately not a whole lot can be done here.  Both guys are technically the H's at the snap -- but since the defenders on both receivers are in press coverage, the H will naturally be drawn to the closest receiver.  Just one of the problems with 5 man instead of 7 man.

[Rulesman]

7 is better than 5. The NFL and FBS have figured out 8 is better than 7. Unfortunately, the bottom line is the bottom line. High schools would rather whine about missed calls than they would open their checkbook and pay for what they really need.

[JasonTX]

We haven't done it this year, but in the past we have just sent a 7 man crew without any prior approval.  The coaches would be informed of who the crew was and that was that.  Not a single time did they come back with a rejection to the 7 man crew.

[Joe Stack]

It is not a cost thing. The coaches who don't want it are afraid of more flags.

[psv]

Perils of the spread offense with a 5 man crew.

The only way is if the B was looking at that receiver instead of the one to he LJ side.  Since we have determined that when there is even str, the str is to the LJ side of the field, the #2 guy doesnt really get a second look until he is further down the field.

Ran into this issue several times this year.  Lots of complaining about holding as the receiver came out of the break, but by the time I got to it (depending on formation and who was running where) it was too late and the action has passed.

7 man is the only way to get that.

Be that as it may, is this really the best video to prove this point?  Dont we have some muggings or takedowns out there that can be shown? 

[TXMike]

Plenty more.this is just 1 more

[Rulesman]

It is not a cost thing. The coaches who don't want it are afraid of more flags.

That, too, but in my area $$$ are a factor.

[Wingmanbp]

I think number of officials is the key reason we primarily use 5. It also has to do with coaches being afraid that we will find more penalties all while complaining that we missed some.

[TXMike]

Wanna see how fast they move off that money argument just tell them you will provide 7 at the cost of 5.  They will come up with another excuse

[TexDoc]

In my experience, coaches and AD's could care less how much money they spend.  Officials are certainly not the largest percentage of their budgets. 

[copedaddy]

Our crew talked in length about this during our trip on Saturday. The only way this is going to happen is if TASO and the UIL step in and say it will. IMHO. Starting with 6-5A's may be best, but what about a crew with 7 guys who draw a couple of 4A games and the coaches don't want 7, what happens then?

[TexDoc]

I started officiating just about the time all of the chapters were pushing for a 5th official.  What eventually happened was, after a couple of years with a mix of 4 and 5 man crews, it was all or nothing.  It will really be tough for the some of the country schools since you can't get 7 guys in a single vehicle.  But, many of them are already bringing timers anyway, who typically travel by themselves.  It is past time to move to 7 officials in all games, all classifications.  Is there any chance of moving to 6, with some modified mechanics?  The biggest problem with 6 is that is leaves the deep middle too wide-open.

[Etref]

I started officiating just about the time all of the chapters were pushing for a 5th official.  What eventually happened was, after a couple of years with a mix of 4 and 5 man crews, it was all or nothing.  It will really be tough for the some of the country schools since you can't get 7 guys in a single vehicle.  But, many of them are already bringing timers anyway, who typically travel by themselves.  It is past time to move to 7 officials in all games, all classifications.  Is there any chance of moving to 6, with some modified mechanics?  The biggest problem with 6 is that is leaves the deep middle too wide-open.

I agree that 7 is the way to go, even 6 would be better with the pass oriented offenses. However, it is still a numbers thing in most of the smaller chapters. Heck, there was a thread on here earlier this year about chapters having to give away games because they do not have enough people to cover what they have, must less with two additional officials per crew.

But it is a double edged sword, with more "games" some of the younger officials can join a crew, get games and possibly stay instead of 1 or 2 years and gone because they only get sub-varsity games.


Just my $.02

[Welpe]

.  It will really be tough for the some of the country schools since you can't get 7 guys in a single vehicle.

Nothing a Ford Expedition EL or Chrysler Town and Country can't fix. 

[Rulesman]

In my experience, coaches and AD's could care less how much money they spend.  Officials are certainly not the largest percentage of their budgets.

That depends on who is responsible for the budget.

[TXMike]

Just because you can put 7 trim and slim and svelte Houston guys in one of those don't mean you can put 7 normal sized guys in one for a 100 mile (1 way) roadtrip     

[Joe Stack]

If we want this, the way to start is to just start sending 7 man crews to games. I think most coaches in the metro areas care less about the number than who is the crew chief.

The question then becomes: on Friday night, can the chapter cover the majority (or all) of its 5A and 6A games with 7 and still be able to send 5 to the smaller schools? Or, be able to offer 7 to the smaller schools when asked?

I'm not sure if they can.

[Cowman52]

Need to think a little, is 5 men with 1 rookie better than 7 men and 4 rookies?  Its kinda like going to war with a gun and no bullets.

[fencewire]

Working S/F would be much better places to bring folks into varsity games than L/H where they are typically put.

[DallasLJ]

Yes and No.  If I had to bring in two young guys, I might split it.  One experienced guy at H or LJ and one experienced guy deep on the opposite side.  Balance it out. 

[texref]

I worked the 2000 - 2001 high school seasons in Pennsylvania (suburban Philadelphia area) and was surprised that the PIAA (their UIL) requires the use of 7 man Crews for all playoff games at all levels back then. I liked the idea of getting more Officials on the field for the playoffs. I believe that requirement is still in effect today.

[Coby]

Yes we need 7 officials.  Yes the Houston HUDL guy is a guru.

[Welpe]

Yes the Houston HUDL guy is a guru.

He is quite the video expert. 

Mike, you would not describe me as svelte. We stick the deep three in the back together, still plenty of room!

[Arbitrator]

If we want this, the way to start is to just start sending 7 man crews to games. I think most coaches in the metro areas care less about the number than who is the crew chief.

The question then becomes: on Friday night, can the chapter cover the majority (or all) of its 5A and 6A games with 7 and still be able to send 5 to the smaller schools? Or, be able to offer 7 to the smaller schools when asked?

I'm not sure if they can.

 

Houston has just recently received the blessings of its subscribing schools AD's and Coaches, both public and private, to implement 7-Man Mechanics for the 2015 football season, the lone exception being for 6-Man Football Crews are already in the process of starting to interview and subsequently add deep wings to their crews for the forthcoming year. The chapter is not only readying for the task of training
its own chapter members for this, but also members of other chapters who are unable to adequately provide that training to its own members for whatever reason.

I think that we will see a majority of the metropolitan-based chapters that will be coming to adopt this, along with some of the more progressive smaller chapters.