Getting the Shaft

you cant help your team if you are off the sidelines.. Even worse if the team leaves the field.. Do the only thing that gives you a chance to win.. Play.. Chalk it up to a lesson in adversity.. And in that lesson taking your ball and going home.. Or fighting the powers that be is not always the best.

I think it depends on the state.

I have coached in minnesota and in wisconsin. Minnesota refs call some certain things stricter then wisconsin refs and vice versa.

when I was on the border we would have minnesota guys ref some home games and I knew what they would be looking for.

i think it also depends on if the refs are city, suburb or rural. I personally do not care for rural refs because they typically are not exposed to the passing game as much as city or suburban refs. I personally perfer guys who come from suburbs.

when I approach a ref I all him Mr. Ref and I will ask him to explain what he called. I just want him to tell me what the call was.

refs are human, they make mistakes. players are human, they make mistakes, coaches are huaman, they are not perfect even though they would like to think so.

I think how thinks have changed since I gradjated 22 years ago. if there was a flag our coach never yelled at the ref he yelled at the player.

look at the film and if you see things which are not right, copy the tape and send it to the state officals association.

The only time I have thought a ref was controlling a game is when one team was killing another and he either tried to speed the game up by setting the ball late or be more critical of the winning team IMO ref's should NEVER control any aspect of the game except for poor sportsmanship

My behaviour was different some years ago, but right now, I make jokes if they miss technical things. I want them to tell me what they saw on (Non-)Holding-Calls and things like that, so I can tell my players what the refs today consider Holding or not.
But if there are late hits or roughing the passer penalties or those things, and they miss it, I still yell. But mostly I can explain them, why they did not see the penalty.

I myself officiate games (50-60 a year) so I know, what poor mechanics they used, for example looking after a pass as a referee and not seeing the RTP-Foul.
In those cases, they cannot argue and only go "sorry, I missed it" and never miss it again. Opponents don´t like it when I correct Referees, but if my players could get injured because of their lack of mechanics, I will do it ´til they install the rule, that a coach may NEVER EVER talk to an official during a game :-)

I coach with a guy who was an official for 8 years, he's taught me a lot.
Here's what I've learned;

1. The same guys coach in your league year after year. You form an opinion of them, they form an opinion of you.

2. It's not just what you say. Their opinion is formed around everything you, your team, and fans do.

3. Most those refs are HUGE football fans that know the game, over the years they know who can coach, who imparts character and discipline into their teams.

4. Being "officials", they respect, discipline and control, if you or your team don't reflect that, they probably have less respect for you.

5. The vast majority of Refs call the game as they see it and never think about the team or head coach. There are some cases when they have to make a judgment call, helps to be respected then.

6. You have to give respect to gain respect.

7. About 1 in 8 officials is a horses {censored} who has issues. Try to be their buddy or at least neutral. They are erratic and can and will screw you.

8. Rarely helps your program or kids to complain about officials; gotta let it go.

While I do believe that most refs want to do what is right, I also know that when you go to an away game the "rules" change.

Every town's set of refs have their own way of doing things. If it is an home game and these guys know you-well-you know them.
You know what they want, how they do things, and what you can get away with.

The refs also know the kids that they are with.
Last year, we went across the state of Florida to the other coast.
The refs at their field, although personable had rules that we never saw before but the other team knew them.
-3 footballs instead of 2
-6 refs on the field, instead of our 5

And the craziest rule that lost us the game!
Roughing the tackler. Yes, roughing the tacker. If my ball carrier put his shoulder down to run over the tacker, the refs called a personal foul of roughing the tackler. AND they called it everytime we got a long run...humm, at least 4-5 times.
We had our guys run standing up.

Then the worst thing...they called the opposing players by their first names and would make comments like...good run Jimmy.
Never saw anything like it.

No, this is NOT hyperbole, this is true.

Here is something else to consider.
I'm from the south, when you go to another town for a game, the refs are the town's people, the banker, the owner of the hardware store...etc.
Do you really think that they are not going be be swayed by this bias? While most are fair, how can they not give their friends a special break. They may not go out there to intentially screw the other team, and most try to be fair, it's just an impossible task for them not to at least have some emotion toward their friends, co-workers and such like.

That's like saying the members of the media in our country are all Republicans.

Great info, coachsky. That's crazy, OJW.

i am keeping my mouth shut on this one just in case any iowa officials are reading this post, let's say that in the last 2 games (both losses for us) there have been some very questionable calls/non calls that did indeed affect the outcome of the game....biting my tongue hard right now...

In our first game of the season one of our running backs got a personal foul for running over a would be tackler. The official said the runner lead with his head which, he also said, was a point of emphasis this year. Now, in this situation we were already ahead 32 - 0 and the running back crossed the goal line, which would have made it 38 - 0. So, I kind of assumed that the call would not have been made in a closer game.

The players have to shape how they approach the game and what techniques they use when it's obvious the calls are going to be a certain way most of the time. Coaches should ask for clarification when in doubt.
Both of those elements should be included in your adjustments to game planning and play calling.

During a playoff game last year we got our players pumped up(as fans) calling from the high seats in front of the press box/coaching booth. "Who's house is this? This is our house! Show them how we play at our house!"

This was during a lull after a possession change, the teams were changing out players from special teams to other groupings. The next time things got to the up close mode he got too personal about an in your face moment and started flailing away, cussing, etc.
We never mean that was the way to play. "Keep your head." He still earned a flag and the home crowd was getting antsy with the resulting flag.

People who had been out of town and came home to watch a playoff game that were there with me, all of us stood there w/arms crossed, showing we didn't approve of the action. That was the rest of the first half we stood like that. Every time they had to get together to discuss something, a possible rule interpretation, a spot of the ball, etc. one of the crew would look our way and be reiminded that some fans respected their calls and the rules.

The second half I returned from getting a drink and a young relative sat there with me, along with a player from our Jr team that season whose father was sitting along us and also stood for a while during the hectic moments. As the youngsters were there we talked play calls and had them watching the groupings and substitutions each team did for their sets to match them with anticipated calls.

The next time a referee conference was needed one of the judges looked our way, there were those two grown men who stood up with us in the first half still standing there again for the sake of due diligence in the second half. Sometimes us young folk don't know how good we have it when elders have our slack.

The game was called fairly for its duration, neither team got an unfair advantage, the home team won with a late comeback. The officials for that 2007 playoff game in northeast Arkansas were a credit to the sport of football. Other fans thought they could have called it more in our favor many times, but they were different calls than what I was seeing. At worst they were borderline on non calls, which is what they do when both teams commit fouls, if you really wanted to get technical.
"If we called every foul we'd be here all day for one game. We've got three other games today." That's the way most of the uncalled items in our Jr.league games go, if the penalty isn't going to match the yardage, and is not a personal foul, it does not get called for the most part. You might get reminded of what needs to be done for it not be a foul before it gets called the next time, etc.