eme
11-22-2005, 11:38 AM
The new procedures in the 2006 ncaa rulebook covering inadvertent whistles and flags (at the end of the book) are certainly clear enough, but I think one part is unfair to the team in possession when the inadvertent flag is thrown.
I usually have 2-3 inadvertent flags a year. Story time. I was the trail coming up in the D2 Championship game in Philly this year. I thought NY Tech was offsides. Flag down. Coming into the box my man David Seidman (alternate official who was in the table area) quietly informs me that, no, they were not.
Uh-oh.
I look up and Limestone has the ball and it appears to me they are making a play for the cage. Kill it? Wait? I decide to wait and Limestone makes a pass or two and then goes for goal. They shoot, miss, ball goes over endline. Tweet. I wave off flag. I am standing right in front of NY Tech Coach Kaley when I explain that Limestone will get the ball back because they had possession when the inadvertent flag was thrown. He asks, "But doesn't it go AP?"
I said, "Trust me , Coach. I'm an expert on inadvertent flags due to practice.
Team that had possession when flag went down retains possession."
Kaley laughs. I was not laughing. I just wanted to get play re-started and crawl out of my spider hole.
Under the 2006 new rules...ball would indeed go AP because a shot had been taken.
I think it should go back to the team who had possession when the flag was dropped. Why? When that flag goes down, team in possession (let's call them White) starts to think and play differently than they might have with no flag down. White starts to think of driving to the goal, or worrying about keeping it in the box. Or no bounce passes. Or not subbing off that middie, etc.They have altered their routine because of an official's error. To go AP seems to increase their "punishment."
The moral of my digression is this:
1. Don't have any inadvertent flags. Better to be two seconds late on an offsides call than 2 seconds early.
2. If you have one, kill that play as fast as you can when team has possession.
I usually have 2-3 inadvertent flags a year. Story time. I was the trail coming up in the D2 Championship game in Philly this year. I thought NY Tech was offsides. Flag down. Coming into the box my man David Seidman (alternate official who was in the table area) quietly informs me that, no, they were not.
Uh-oh.
I look up and Limestone has the ball and it appears to me they are making a play for the cage. Kill it? Wait? I decide to wait and Limestone makes a pass or two and then goes for goal. They shoot, miss, ball goes over endline. Tweet. I wave off flag. I am standing right in front of NY Tech Coach Kaley when I explain that Limestone will get the ball back because they had possession when the inadvertent flag was thrown. He asks, "But doesn't it go AP?"
I said, "Trust me , Coach. I'm an expert on inadvertent flags due to practice.
Team that had possession when flag went down retains possession."
Kaley laughs. I was not laughing. I just wanted to get play re-started and crawl out of my spider hole.
Under the 2006 new rules...ball would indeed go AP because a shot had been taken.
I think it should go back to the team who had possession when the flag was dropped. Why? When that flag goes down, team in possession (let's call them White) starts to think and play differently than they might have with no flag down. White starts to think of driving to the goal, or worrying about keeping it in the box. Or no bounce passes. Or not subbing off that middie, etc.They have altered their routine because of an official's error. To go AP seems to increase their "punishment."
The moral of my digression is this:
1. Don't have any inadvertent flags. Better to be two seconds late on an offsides call than 2 seconds early.
2. If you have one, kill that play as fast as you can when team has possession.