Talking to the officials

I don't see how you can coach with any passion and not get excited when you think there's been a bad call. We do have a rule that only the HC has the right to get a penalty.

I like your policy. Where do I sign up? ;D

I've been on both ends. I'm the HC now and our policy is simple - ONE VOICE ONLY, MINE! I want to talk, chat, work, rant, or butter the ref up and I don't want anyone else screwing it up! The guys in the coaches box all have their own duties from spotting, subbing, play calling, etc - one of my duties is working the refs the way I want to. Thats just the way it is.

The talking part is based on a certain call....verification, etc. That is all. I feel a ref should communicate a call if there is confusion, etc. Nothing that takes too much time away from the game or every call.

I'll give you a situation Tim. Team runs option....they give to the dive and the QB and pitch man continue on faking....hard. Our corner runs up and blasts the pitch man. The play was still going...wasn't after the whistle. The ref throws a flag for unsportsmanlike. Now, my concern is that when the QB keeps the ball on option and then maybe pitch our player has to take it easy now. Our HC "talked" with the officials about this...not sure what was said, but our HC didn't say much afterwards so I knew he got the clarification he wanted.

I'm a youth coach and our league adopted a new policy this year that if a parent or assistant gets out of line towards a player, opposing coach or official, it's a 15 yard penalty. The second one gets the head coach ejected from the game.

Must be a Fed thing, because in NCAA ball he is fair game. A runner is defined as someone who is either in possession or simulating being in possesion of the ball (would have to look up the exact wording).

If a coach is trying to maintain open lines of communication, I have as much time as possible for them. For where I work, I will talk if possible to the OL and DL coaches on scores or as I can get word in to them on questions or other areas of preventive officiating. If I have to throw a flag, I don't want it to be a surprise.

funny this was brought up......


I got my first personal foul in a JV game (I'm DC and special teams coordinator)........my punter dropped the ball, picked it up, took two steps to his left, punted the ball, and got waxed.


...........I waited a long time for the offical to call roughing the punter (I think like .75 seconds)


I went crazy. We were down 3 touches, this is mid-4th quarter, so I figured I'd stand up for my player......


........I was going to yell until he threw a flag.............he did.




Was this too far out of line?

I don't think we've ever had a policy but I don't make it a habit of talking to the refs specifically unless I think that a missed call is ridiculous. I make a habit of letting the official overhear me saying to another coach that a call he made against us was a good call. I don't know if it helps but I figure it's probably better than me screaming or being sarcastic when he made the right call.

Let me give you an official's perspective. Letting me know I missed a call isn't going to do a lot of good, as one of three things has occcurred: 1. I didn't see it - I know this is hard to understand, but there are fouls we don't catch, either because of an angle or looking at another key. As an umpire, I have responsibility for all five down linemen and the guys they are blocking. I can pick up a maximum of three at any one time in a tight formation. I do well to get two. If I don't see the foul, I can't throw on it, and no amount of you seeing the foul changes that. 2. I saw the action that you saw, but I didn't think it was a foul - This does happen, especially around the subjective calls of holding, OPI, DPI, chops, and other areas where I have to make a judgement call. Again, arguing won't get you very far. 3. I kicked a call. I saw it and I screwed it up - These are hard to fix with the speed of the game. We will get them when we can, but if I have one of these, you will hear,"Coach, I screwed that one up, I made a mistake and I am sorry." That is all I can do.

The biggest thing in dealing with officials is ask questions, avoid the low hanging comments around what you find as a missed call, and don't yell. I know it sounds strange, but I work with a lot of guys whose ears turn off when the coaches start yelling and you may miss out on an official letting your know about a potential problem early that will get flagged during the game. Make sense?

Just remember that we don't watch the game like you do. We have keys. As a player, I was taught to find the ball. As an official, I am taught to watch everything but the ball. All it takes is one split second of checking another key, and I can miss the foul. All I see is the result, and I can't flag a result.

Most of us do a fine job; however, there are good officials that have bad nights and there are bad officials that don't ever have a good night. When you draw on of those types, it gets very frustrating and there isn't anything you can do but live with it.

I think PART of the issue has to do with the majority of coaches balling out the NEAREST official on a call. Each official has a specific function in a game. Balling the linesman on a call about a cut block. THAT ain't his job.....you are WASTING your breath

As a Co-DC on the field I just turn and walk way down away from the official so I don't get flagged. I get kind of animated espicially when it is a call that has to do with the safety of a player.

Whether or not you are allowed or suspended is probably a state or district policy.

From my perspective, I fully expect exclamations when I do something you don't agree with. Let's face it, this is your passion, job, and livelyhood we are talking about and those are all in the hands of high-school age kids. I am serious about officiating, treat it like a job, spend a lot of time on it, but it isn't my primary vocation and my stress level is different.

What I am saying, boiled down to its essence, is that officials would much rather work with you that be worked by you. When I did work flank, the coach that asked questions was the coach that got more preventive officiating because that line of communication was open. For example,"Coach, you need to let 95 know that he is real close to being in the neutral zone. He needs to get back." With an open line of communication, we can have that dialogue. I don't expect you to never disagree with me. In fact, if I am doing my job, I am going to do some things you aren't going to like. That is part of enforcing the rules. But there are coaches for whom I have worked, where they have said,"I think that was a sh***ty call" and then gone back to work and we have been fine.

The coach that will be in trouble is the one that rides the officials like a dimestore pony. There is no communication line open and therefore I can't do any preventive officiating. It becomes very much by the book.

Just for some perspective, I work in an industry where my job is dependent on multiple vendors to be successful. They have to make decisions independently of what I want and sometimes that causes me heartburn. I figure out how to work with them to squeeze every drop of productivity out of that customer/vendor relationship. In 100% of the instances, I have had to be nasty at least once; conversely, in 100% of those instances I would fail if I was nasty all the time. I pick my spots, so when the time comes, it has an effect. If I am nasty all the time, there is no relationship and I can't get out of it what I need.

I guess what I am trying to say is this. If you really want to get everything out of the crew you have tonight, work with them like your job depends on it. Keep the tone professional and cooperative until such time that the screw something up. Blow up, be unhappy, then go back to working with them on a professional level. The tone of the game will shift and there may reach a point that you get the benefit of the doubt when you wouldn't have otherwise.

Unfortunately, some crews and officials just suck. Not sure what else to say. In that case, nothing you could have said would have made it better. I admire your self control, as I don't know I would have been able to do that.