Clock Operators - What would you do?

[NVFOA_Ump]

In a very competitive back and forth game, team A is leading 30-26 with under 4 minutes in the 4th quarter.  It's team A 1st & 10 and the game clock is running.  Team A saunters to the line of scrimmage like they have all day and get a delay of game penalty @ 3:15 on the game clock.  5-yard penalty enforced so it is now 1st & 15.  R then winds the clock.  As the official clock operator what would you do?

[lawdog]

Do you have an official as the clock operator?  If so he should be on the O2O.  He should be on the mic reminding the white hat that after DOG clock is always on the snap.

Around here the clock operator is not an official, just some guy from the home school.  Usually, "been doing it for 20 years".  But they don't really know the rules.  They aren't licensed officials. They don't get to ignore the official's signals and do what they think is right.  So even if a clock operator thinks it should start when it is stopped or should stop when it is started, they really have no say in that.

[Legacy Zebra]

You start the clock. Your job it to operate the clock under the direction of the on-field officials. Right or wrong, it’s their decision. And if it’s wrong, it’s their mistake to fix.

[NVFOA_Ump]

You start the clock. Your job it to operate the clock under the direction of the on-field officials. Right or wrong, it’s their decision. And if it’s wrong, it’s their mistake to fix.

So even if the clock operator is an assigned paid member of the crew with 20+ years of experience, 15 of those years as a referee you would be winding the clock when it would be a clear error???   

[SCHSref]

So even if the clock operator is an assigned paid member of the crew with 20+ years of experience, 15 of those years as a referee you would be winding the clock when it would be a clear error???   

Yes or you get a lot of confusion and other problems. My job as a clock operator is to hit the start and stop button with the appropriate signal.

[ElvisLives]

OH crap Wrong forum. Never mind.

[bama_stripes]

Our state uses officials as COs.  If the crew gets disciplined for an egregious error, so do the COs.
Therefore, I expect my COs to run the clock by the rules, even if I have a brain fart.

(This obviously doesn’t apply at the end of a blowout game, but in that case I’ll radio the CO to “start & stop on me.”)

[MAFBRef]

Being a devil’s advocate, if Team A, with 3:15 left in the game, gains a first down and the crew signals first down, but doesn’t kill the clock, should the CO kill the clock because he knows it’s supposed to be killed?  If they forget to start the clock after setting the chains, should he automatically start the clock?  The wind of the clock is always on the R and he or she owns it right or wrong.

[GoodScout]

If I'm the ECO as an official, I'm not starting the clock.

Had a situation early in my career where my crew misenforced a PSK foul, and I was the only one on the crew who recognized it at the time. Unfortunately, I was 80 yards away in the press box in the pre-O2O days.

When our state evaluation came out that week, everyone on the crew was dinged for the mistake, including me.

Why would you not be a crew saver just because your position is ECO instead of LJ or BJ?

[NVFOA_Ump]

Being a devil’s advocate, if Team A, with 3:15 left in the game, gains a first down and the crew signals first down, but doesn’t kill the clock, should the CO kill the clock because he knows it’s supposed to be killed?  If they forget to start the clock after setting the chains, should he automatically start the clock?  The wind of the clock is always on the R and he or she owns it right or wrong.

Not correct.  If I clearly see a 1st down signal I'm stopping the clock BY RULE.  I'm then winding the clock BY RULE on the R signal.  If the ECO is a registered and assigned member of the officiating crew he is required to follow the rules.

[sj]

On this subject. A lot of high school games don't have field mics. But it can work that when the R does have one, and he makes an announcement anytime during the last five minutes of either half, that they should include the clock status in their announcement.

It can do two things. First, it tells the clock operator, players and the coaches what will be happening. Second, it serves as a check as the rest of the crew will hear it and if there is any disagreement things can be discussed before moving on.

3-4-7 comes into play in under two minutes. And while 3-4-6 can come into play anytime during a game most of the time it's a factor in close games in the last few minutes or so.

[refjeff]

The most important thing is to get it right.

As a white hat, there has been a time or two where I gave the CO a visible thumbs up because he bailed me out.

There have been many more times when I have had to wind and wind and wind and wind ...

[AlUpstateNY]

"if only the world was perfect".  A distinct advantage in avoiding such mistakes, is providing the CO with "Crew Communication devices (if available).  Without ACTUAL NOWLEDGE of why the R has not signaled to restart the clock, waiting for such a signal confirmation seems "prudent".  Any number of "situations" may develop delaying that signal;  a nearby injured player, a (rational) question/objection by nearby coach, a delayed dissenting question by a fellow Official (spot, unseen flag, etc.).  The Clock is STOPPED (and so is time), whereas improperly re-starting the clock without an appropriate signal will likely require a subsequent timing correctio.

If delaying starting the clock was appropriate, no adjustment (further explanation) is necessary.  If adjustment is necessary, simply resetting the clock (under direction of the R, is available.  Stopping/restarting the Game Clock is a decision DIRECTED by FIELD Officials to a CO, which at times may be subject to adjustment by Field Officials. The availability of including the CO in constant communication capabilities is a distinct asset in avoiding/minimizing problems.

[bossman72]

Ok for those of you ECOs that are stopping the clock, what if the R then gives you the "angry wind" like "start the effing clock, what are you doing"?

[AlUpstateNY]

Ok for those of you ECOs that are stopping the clock, what if the R then gives you the "angry wind" like "start the effing clock, what are you doing"?

Follow the instructions of the R.  After the game, I'd likely ask the R "what his problem, was" to avoid any future confusions, with similar situations.

[GoodScout]

Gonna agree with this. I won't start it, but if the R's gonna be adamantly and emphatically wrong, then I'm going to let him hang himself.

[TampaSteve]

Round these parts, ECO are part of the officials association and registered with the state.
BUT - they are mostly a newer official, or an official who is doing ECO as a sidebar to working VB in the daytime and never been (nor have aspirations to be) on the field.

Rarely is an ECO a veteran official who knows if an error is made and can "assist" with the issue at hand. - and the O2O is a great tool here for ECO or any of the other officials to use to help remind R in the situation at hand.
To the point of the topic: a clear and obvious error by the R should be "corrected" on the fly by the ECO (just like enforcement, walking off a penalty, etc., by the others that we see corrected on the field on the fly) - given that the ECO is competent.

However, as someone else mentioned, if the game is a blowout, then I'm not positive that ensuring the clock is correct is a priority to anyone involved on the field or either sideline.

[ilyazhito]

In a blowout, wouldn't the mercy rule (if adopted by your state) apply anyway? If the mercy rule applies, the clock would either run continuously (with very limited stoppages) or the game would end.