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Nye Quick Tips vil dukke opp etter hvert. Quick Tips kan gi ideer til dommermøtet før kampen, eller til personlige forberedelser.
Just because the whistle has blown doesn’t mean things
have stopped happening. Keep your head up and your eyes open and you can nip an altercation in the bud. For example,
if you’re a wing official and a sweep goes to the other sideline, watch the players who have not flowed toward the action.
Watch the players milling around the pile, especially those who have gone out of bounds.
A primary shortcoming of high school umpires is a tendency to
walk to the pile when a runner is downed between the hashes. Umpires should be hustling, just as other officials
hustle. The pile should be supervised by an active umpire within a second or two of the play's ending, to prevent animosities
from developing in the pile.
It’s important to keep track of players taking advantage
of the numbering exception on scrimmage-kick plays. The umpire can do that by jotting down
the numbers of those players on his game card. Obtain those numbers from the proper coach before the game. If there
is a breakdown on a kick play (e.g. a bad snap that leads to the punter attempting a pass), the umpire can observe the play
and any players with eligible numbers downfield. If need be, he can check his card when the play is over and throw a late
flag.
With a number of rule changes the last few years regarding equipment,
the practice of making a casual visual inspection of the players before the game is even more important.
In NCAA games, check to see that the kickers are using a one-inch tee (DK kommenterer: 2 tommer lovlig i Europa). If not,
be sure the head coach knows. If players are wearing tinted eyeshields or clear or white tooth protectors, point it out to
the head coach. That way, there is time to make a correction before the game starts.
Take turns leading the pregame discussion. It goes without saying
that a pregame discussion is an absolute must. If the same official leads the same discussion every week attention spans become
short and a well-intentioned meeting is a waste of time. Each week, ask a different crew member
to discuss a rule or mechanic. If a chalkboard is available in the dressing room take advantage of it. The discussion
leader should involve other crew members to ensure participation and attention.
When a pile forms on top of a fumble, one official has to be the "digger," the one who gets to the bottom of the
heap and discerns who has the ball. The remaining officials should not simply stand around and wait. That's a perfect time
to practice dead-ball officiating. One official must step back and watch players milling around but who are not on the
pile. Another can tap players on the stack and tell them to get away (but do not grab players and pull them off). Others should
attempt to keep players from jumping on to the pile.
Instead of just standing idly before the game, walk the field and look around. Are there potholes in the
turf that should be filled? Are the pylons placed correctly? Are the goalpost pads attached securely? Also, check the players.
Address knotted jerseys, non-transparent face shields and other equipment- or uniform-related issues before the game.
Whenever a team is granted a charged timeout, make note of who requested the timeout. On your information card,
jot down whether the request came from a player (using his number) or the head coach. As an addendum, record or at least
remember the situation. Later in the game, when the coach insists he has more timeouts than he really does, politely remind
him. "Coach, remember when number 10 called a timeout in the third quarter just before you went for it on fourth down at the
43 yardline?"
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