Archive for December, 2007

As promised, I’m going to illuminate a very easy thing that seems to baffle some.
What is with all the refs on the field and what is the difference between them? What is with the guy in the white hat?
There are a few “referees” on the field and they all have different names and different jobs during the game.
*Back Judge – Basically this guy is looking for Delay of Game infractions and pass interference. He’s positioned behind the defense. He works with the Field Judge to rule on Field Goal attempts.
*Side Judge – Just what it sounds like, he’s watching for rules violations on the side he is positioned on. He stands behind the defense – to the side.
*Field Judge – This sounds fancy but it’s not. He’s just another guy on the field keeping his eyes on a certain part of the field – again positioned behind the defense. Working with the Back Judge he rules on Field Goal Attempts.
*Line Judge – You’ll find him at one end of the line of scrimmage counting offensive players and watching for offenses at or near the line of scrimmage.
*Head Linesman – He’s at the other end of the line of scrimmage from the line judge. You’ll find him in charge of the chains – they bring those out to determine if a ball actually traveled the 10 yards to make a first down (the chains measure 10 yards……read back on your earlier Football for Girls Post if you’ve forgotten!) and this is the guy who is marking the forward progress.
*Umpire stands close behind defensive line observing blocks by the Offensive line and other initial action as a play gets going. This is the guy who gets clocked by either the offense or the defense the most – because he’s up in the line of scrimmage watching for penalties….while the players are kicking ass.
*Referee – THE MAN WITH THE WHITE HAT!
The referee is running the show…..he’s the spokesperson for the other referees ( who as you now know are not referees but have other job names), he is behind the offense just to one side of the Quarterback and this is the guy who is also really watching the offense. The referee is like the manager who works WITH and not ABOVE the other guys. He also watches the plays that are challenged and makes a ruling.

Now……do we have it?
There will be a quiz.

Okay Downs can be confusing. They really aren’t confusing, but grasping what all the numbers mean is what tends to throw people off.
So the very simplified version to think about it is this:
THE TEAM WITH THE BALL HAS 4 PLAYS(DOWNS) to move the ball 10 yards.
Or they have to give the ball to the other team, and then THEY have 4 plays(downs) to move the ball 10 yards.

So why is it so confusing?
Let me lay it out.
Let’s say your team has the ball and the QB throws it and the ball moves 5 yards forward. That wasn’t 10 yards right? (First off your QB sucks he only threw the ball 5 yards but we’ll skip that).
But back to my point. So, on the first try, you threw the ball five yards.
Now it’s your second try.
This is your SECOND DOWN. Announcers will say it’s 2nd and Five – this means you have Five more yards to go.

And here is where it gets confusing.

If on the next play your team moves that ball 5+ yards – it is ANOTHER FIRST DOWN.

Hahaha.

Okay, that can be confusing.

Think about it this way – if you move the ball 10 yards or more (and don’t score) THAT is called “First down – or First and 10″. You remember that cheer from High School “First and 10 and Do it Again!” ? Well that is what it meant.
All the plays 1-4 that do not move the ball 10 yards in sum are numbered 2-3and 4 + the number of yards to go to MAKE it 10 yards.

Some penalties in the game punish the team which committed the penalty by awarding “Automatic First Down” to the other team. This means that the other team automatically gets a first down, regardless of how many yards they needed to get or what down they WERE on.

Some other shorthand you need to know. If it your teams 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th play with the ball, and they are closer to their goal line than 10 yards, that play is called 1st and goal, 2nd and Goal, 3rd and Goal or 4th and Goal. Your team will most likely kick at this point but ya never know. If it is their 3rd time touching the ball and they have 10 yards or MORE to go to get that elusive “First Down” we call it 3rd and Long.

How can they have more than 10 yards to go? Well they could’ve been pushed backwards or penalized with lost yards etc. Anyway, 3rd and Long means it sucks to have the ball because you have a lot of yard to make up to hit your 10 yard goal.

Remember, no matter where the ball goes forward or backward on the field your GOAL to achieve FIRST DOWN is the spot 10 yards from where your ORIGINAL scrimmage line was set on your first possession of the ball.

And I’d like to take this time to point out something about watching football. It’s a social thing. To participate fully, you need to have at least a cursory understanding of what is going on. There is no reason to know the ineligible receiver rule, but you gotta understand the very basic points of the game, which is why I’m writing these posts.
(okay you do have to learn the ineligible receiver rule but that is much later).

Next post – if there are all those refs on the field why does the guy in the white hat do all the talking?