Talk:Official (gridiron football)

Official Timekeeper?
I've added some clarification to the role of the line judge and back judge, in regards to official timekeeping responsiblities in high school games; in 4-man crews, the line judge is the official timekeeper, while in a 5-man crew, the back judge has this responsibility. --BucInExile 02:03, 17 August 2005 (UTC)


 * Unless there has been a change since I was a HS official in the early 90s, in those HS stadiums where there is a working scoreboard clock this is used as official time. An on-field official only assumes this duty if there is no clock, or there is a problem with the scoreboard clock. I only had to do this one time, when the scoreboard clock broke down. Wschart (talk) 00:17, 3 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Right. So the back or line judge takes over in those cases where the scoreboard malfunctions or there is not one at the stadium. (Again, depending on where in the US the high school game is played. In Georgia, for instance, in the event of a clock failure at a varsity game, the electronic clock operator—a registered official—comes down to the field and handles timing there, communicating directly with the referee. —C.Fred (talk) 03:49, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Return yards
I am trying to determine who marks the point of change of possession for determining return yards.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTD) 03:39, 2 January 2008 (UTC)


 * For NCAA and NFL, the covering official bean-bags the yard line where the punt is fielded, interception completed, etc. —C.Fred (talk) 05:47, 2 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Same for HS. Wschart (talk) 00:18, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Yardage
I am working on Total offense, Yards from scrimmage and All-purpose yards and need to know how yardage is credited if a team executes a successful onside kick where they are able to advance a fielded ball. Also, do all forms of return yards count toward All-purpose yards? Sources welcome.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTD) 03:42, 2 January 2008 (UTC)


 * That is beyond the scope of anything that should be covered in this article. —C.Fred (talk) 05:48, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Odd question and its response
How is this different from any other kind of sports official its not close to unique to american football--69.146.158.35 (talk) 02:19, 11 August 2009 (UTC)
 * What?!? I think you're asking why this article only covers American football officials and not other sports. Why would it? The article details the positions and responsibilities of the officials in American football specifically. That's why it says (American football) at the end, it's specifying the scope of the article. Other sports' officials are covered in the appropriate articles for those sports. oknazevad (talk) 03:19, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

Numbering System
How are the officials' uniform numbers selected? Could this be addressed in the article? The fairly complex system of the number assignation of players by their positions is well-documented, so why is this not so for the officials as well?--74.235.10.18 (talk) 21:32, 10 October 2009 (UTC)


 * It's omitted because, with a few exceptions (NFL, HS in Virginia?), most officials aren't numbered. Also, I don't think there's a lot of documentation of how the NFL assigns officials' numbers, so that prevents it from being covered. —C.Fred (talk) 02:31, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

RO/VO?
Should replay assistant and video operator be mentioned here? They are part of the officiating crew. Danthe4th (talk) 16:03, 27 January 2010 (UTC)


 * We don't mention any of the other auxiliary officials (timer, play clock timer, media communicator (red hat), chain crew). Maybe we should add a section on auxiliary officials with links for their respective articles (or, in the case of the replay officials, the instant replay article)? —C.Fred (talk) 17:32, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Deep Judge
You probably would've noticed the NFL have experimented with an eighth official, lining up behind the Back Judge. Should this little experiment be incorporated somehow into the article, and in what section?  Bettia  (talk)  15:13, 31 August 2010 (UTC)


 * Behind or opposite the back judge? Based on the description in the story, it looks like they've turned the back judge into a tandem position back there (compare with the way a back judge splits into a field and side judge when going from five- to six-man mechanics). I've added it as a single paragraph in the Back judge section, but I did bold the mention of the position. I also added a link to the ESPN printing of the AP story about the experiment. —C.Fred (talk) 16:03, 31 August 2010 (UTC)


 * According to said article, Giants–Ravens was one of the experimental games, and a replay is on NFL Network at 4:00 pm EDT this evening. —C.Fred (talk) 16:07, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

College football official rules question
Is an interception considered"good" if the receivers knees or knee is in contact with the ground?72.189.244.74 (talk) 20:23, 29 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes. Well, assuming no part of his body is out of bounds and he otherwise makes a legal catch. :) Of course, the play is dead as soon as he gains possession, because his knee is on the ground (the runner is down). —C.Fred (talk) 20:41, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

External links modified
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Black and White Shirts
Matter. 2600:1012:B1C0:4A71:0:1A:E11E:2001 (talk) 02:50, 14 February 2024 (UTC)