SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL - August 3, 2022 Agenda: Attendance – Check your attendance for accuracy. Clinic attendance on the right side. Weekly Bull Calibration Two Instructional Videos Tonight Coover Instructional Video 8-3-22 plus YouTube Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDGiue8K8mg Rules Summer Study
Thought for the Week - " Have consistency with your eyes" - Coach Neal Brown of West Virginia. This tells us to always be looking at the best place to make your call. If that area happens to be your zone of responsibility, recognize it and sharpen your vision from soft vision to a sharp vision, especially if you see an indicator that a foul may be developing. After looking at so many plays in calibration and instructional videos, we should be much more capable of having consistency with our eyes. And remember, slow, purposeful movement can help keep our head and eyes steady (not bouncing) and provide us our most accurate image.
Umpire Clinic – Thank you to Ed Blick, Mike Gunzelman, and Scott Carroll for an outstanding presentation of the responsibilities and value added from the umpire of a quality crew! If you missed it you can watch it at the link provided. https://www.dropbox.com/s/b0or7rh6zexmavs/video1046161180.mp4?dl=0 If you do view this recording, make sure to give yourself credit on the attendance sheet.
Referee/Back Judge Clinic – Next Wednesday 8/10 at 7:00 pm, Ted Schiess will be presenting a discussion of the relationships between these to position. The zoom meeting will explore how to get the most from your back judge, as well as what the referee needs from a great back judge. Ted is one of the best at both of these positions so he is a great resource for us to learn more about this “team within a team”. Here is the zoom invitation: Stephen Coover is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
SDCFOA Referee & Back Judge Clinic Aug 10, 2022 07:00 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86536321493?pwd=c04rVkFuVS9hcXdyaS9VM081blJjQT09 Meeting ID: 865 3632 1493 Passcode: 483013 +16699009128
2021 SDCFOA Mechanics Qualification Exam – The mechanics exam was sent out via your crew chiefs or your classroom instructor on Sunday 7/31. The test must be completed by next Sunday 8/7. Passing this exam (80% or 40/50) is a requirement for all except the 1st year officials. A passing score in both tests plus attendance at 9 meetings (includes 1 clinic and the banquet or a make-up meeting in October) will qualify you for eligibility to be drafted and for playoff assignments. This year the exams will be completed on-line (as we did last year). Each official is expected to use their instructional materials and rule books to pass the exam. You may also use each other as a resource to make sure you earn a passing score. Good luck!
5-Man Mechanics Free Kick Diagram – This diagram comes from the NFHS Mechanics Manual. Please note that we begin with our initial keys as we have in the past. Three on the outside are viewed by the respective flanks, and the center 4 are viewed by the BJ. As the kickers progress downfield, we transition to the zones depicted on the diagram. I’d prefer that the HL and U’s zones extend and meet in the middle of the field from the 20 – 35-yardlines. I was recently taught that we should officiate free kick plays “from the inside – out”. Stay still and focus your eyes on the players closest to the middle of the field as they approach the 20-35-yard line (strike zone). Again, eyes are on players in competition within those zones, not players running free and we’re most likely to see an illegal block toward the middle of the field first. Then as the runner chooses a direction, the outer players will now become involved. Remember: Inside – Out.
Sportsmanship Award – Sportsmanship can be defined as proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. The SDCFOA Youth Fund, in partnership with the CIF and Commissioners Joe Heinz and Todd Cassen, will be sponsoring a Team Sportsmanship Award this year. Each week our crews will be asked to reflect on the sportsmanship exhibited by the teams before, during and after their games. When a team demonstrates the highest level of sportsmanship, the crew will nominate that team for consideration. Your nominations will be emailed to Steve Coover. We will announce the award winner from each of the five (5) conferences the first week of November. One school from the Metro, Grossmont, Coastal/Pacific/8-man, City and North County will be awarded a trophy, banner for their gym, and $1,000 which will be presented at halftime of the CIF Open Division championship game. We believe this is a great way to reward maybe the most important element of the great game of football! Thank you SDCFOA/NCAA/NFL officials for continuing to be so generous with our Youth Fund!
Pre-Game Checklists – Attached is an example of a Position Checklist which can be used to prepare ourselves for each week’s game. Prior to leaving for your game, maybe Thursday night, or lunch break on Friday, you can pull this out and work your mind through those things that are important to your being successful during your game. It is an important step in you preparation process. Use this example to create a list of your own. Start simple and edit/revise it each season. This is not a new concept as I received my first “one-pager” from George Schutte very early in my career!
Fitness - Scrimmages are one week away! You want to look good out there so update your uniform, tailor those pants, and keep up your fitness routine. Don’t forget to hydrate in this heat starting the day before the scrimmage and provide time for your stretching routine to prevent injury.
San Diego CIF 25-Yardline Overtime & Mercy Rules – The 25-yardline overtime procedure is mandatory for all varsity games in San Diego County CIF (varsity level only!). There are no options. Any varsity game for any sized division (D1 – D5) must use the 25-yardline tiebreaker when the game ends in a tie score at the end of regulation. The result will be a win or a loss. The CA Mercy Rule is required to be applied to all games, no matter what level. Both procedures can be found on our website under Rule Books and Mechanics.
Out-of-Town Teams – When a team from out-of-town comes to San Diego to play, they are playing by the CIDSDS rules. That includes mandatory overtime. If a team were to refuse to play overtime it would simply be reported to me and I would inform CIF. Teams from out of CA may also be surprised that we have a Mercy Rule in CA and that a player who exhibits signs or symptoms consistent with a concussion is disqualified for the remainder of the game. Those are the 1- SD and 2 - CA possible differences. They may be included into your pre-game meeting with the coach.
Spotting the Ball Following Touchbacks – When a ball is declared dead in the endzone and the result of the play is a touchback, where should the umpire place the ball on the 20-yard line? We must inform the head coach during the pre-game coach’s conference that we will assume he wants the ball placed in the center of the field, BUT, flank officials must be cognizant that the coach may want the ball placed anywhere between the hashmarks. He has that right by rule. Please use the numbering system in our mechanics manual (positions 1-5 starting at the hash closest to the pressbox) to communicate the position selected by the coach. Use of O2O for this communication is encouraged.
Celebration of Life for Mike Sotelo – Thursday September 1st 5:00 – 9:00pm at Mission Bay Women’s Beach Club 840 Santa Clara Place, San Diego. Wear your stripes and celebrate with a potluck and some great Mike Sotelo stories.
“Our primary job is to be the integrity of the game. It is a player’s game, it is a coach’s game, it is a fan’s game and we are there to support the sense of fair play!” Tony Corrente, NFL Referee
