Yelling at Officials 101: When to, when not to

At some point in this prep football season, boos will rain down onto the playing field of a Tri-parish stadium after a yellow handkerchief-like object finds its way onto the grass.

It’s inevitable – it will happen.

There’s really no reason to fight it.

Most of the calls will probably be correct – others will be just flat-out bad. That’s not a stab at our local officials, but rather a stab at our own imperfections. I’ve officiated football before. I know how inexact a science it truly is. How I made it out of that field alive, I’ll never know.

But there is a time to boo and a time to just keep our lips zipped and move onto the next play, and that’s what I’m here for.

Here is your 2010 fan version of when you should be prepared to become a backseat official, and when it’s probably best to take your penalty in stride.

White hat woes – We’re going to start with the basics. Every official is (or should be) wearing a hat. Most of the guys will be wearing black hats, but if you notice one will have a white cap on. That makes him the head official and very dangerous if you’re cheering for the offensive team. The only flags this guy (or possibly gal) will throw are for holding or false start penalties – all nightmares for your team’s quest to put points on the scoreboard. Every once in a while, he’ll call a roughing-the-passer penalty, but those only happen a few times a season. Now if by some chance the white hat guy throws a flag on the defensive team, then yes, it’s probably time to boo because, well, that just never happens.

Boo Rating:

White hat calls holding or false start: 2.5 boos out of 10

White hat calls anything else: 8.5 boos

What is or what isn’t illegal formation – At times throughout the season, you’ll hear these dreaded words: “Illegal formation on the offense – 5-yard penalty, repeat first down.” As a developing football fan, I had no idea what this penalty was or why it was called. And even now, the rules are still somewhat fuzzy and complex. But long story short, an offense must have at least seven players on the line of scrimmage at the start of every play. If they don’t, an illegal formation can and will be called and your team will be moving back 5 yards. Maybe it’s just football karma or just a flat-out coincidence, but the plays that get nullified because of this penalty usually always are big gaining plays. Just ask LSU fans – we know this all too well. By definition of the rulebook, illegal formation is a penalty they have to call, but go ahead and boo anyway, because it truly is a stupid penalty and it should be taken from the rulebooks. If a defense can align its players however they want to, why can’t the offense do the same?

Boo Rating:

Illegal formation: 7 boos

Pass Interference – This one isn’t nearly the jaw dropper that it is in the NFL because: A) prep teams don’t throw the football nearly as much, and B) it’s only a 15-yard penalty in the high school game, compared to a spot-foul penalty in the professional game. To the naked eye, this one is easy to see and backseat officiate. If the ball is in the air, neither the defender nor the receiver should be allowed to make contact with one another, unless that contact is necessary to make a play on the football. Probably 95 percent of pass interference infractions are on the defense, which makes this a controversial penalty 100 percent of the time, because the receiver almost always is pushing with the same intensity as the cornerback. So it’s OK to boo this one, but just do it in moderation, because as someone who has officiated before, this truly is very tough to judge.

Boo Rating:

Defensive pass interference: 5 boos

Offensive pass interference: 8 boos

Delay of game with no visible play clock – In many of our Tri-parish stadiums, this really isn’t an issue, because we’re blessed with play clocks. But in some places, we’re still a little behind the times and have to run the play clock by hand. So how do you tell when the clock is running thin without a visible ticker to use as a reference? Look at either your white hat official or your back judge. If the play clock is inside of 10 seconds, his hand will be in the air. He’s not just stretching or getting some blood flowing. He’s letting you and the teams and coaches know that the play clock is running low, and the offense better boogie or they’re about to be docked some yardage. I’m all about being on time, so there’s no excuse to have a delay of game penalty – ever. I’m pretty sure the coaches are on the same page as me on this one.

Boo Rating:

Delay of game: 1 boo

Illegal substitution – And then lastly, if all else fails, our beloved football gods mandate that we substitute properly in the middle of a game. Have you ever seen a team seemingly innocently huddled together, only to have a penalty flag be thrown right as soon as they break the huddle and prepare to start the play? Football rules say you’re only allowed to have 11 guys in the huddle at any particular time – even if the 12th guy runs straight off the field before the play. I guess the logic is if two heads are better than one, then 12 heads are better than 11? Either way, it’s a silly penalty, but rules are rules. Give the referees some slack on this one.

Boo Rating:

Illegal substitution: 3.5 boos

Best of luck and may you and your team get all of the calls in this coming season!