The Salt and Pepper of Football!

Also known as Football officials or as I have often heard them called those fools on field, jackasses, cheats, etc.

So why “Salt and Pepper”?

Let’s think of a football game as a kid’s meal. The football players are the burger, the main part of the meal, then the coaches are the fries, or in the healthier way of thinking the apple, the fans are the beverage, leaving the cheerleaders as the toy. So where does that leave the officials? As the salt and pepper, because they are necessary to the meal but if there is too little or too much the meal is not good.

When I was younger, and before I pledged my allegiance to ALABAMA, I used to cheer for the “refs”  (it wasn’t until later that I paid attention to the fact that they were officials and not refs), because I felt bad that no matter what call they seemed to make someone got mad at them and called them names. I felt that they were there to do a job and that they could see things better because they were closer to the action, so who was the man in the stadium seating to say anything. Because without these guys a football game could become a bloody gladiator battle, because when you think about it a football game is just a mini battle. So for me the “refs” were very important in the game, sense they made sure the players didn't unnecessarily hurt each other.

Thanks to television and a growing interest in the game, I no linger cheer for the officials. In fact, during the ALABAMA vs. Penn State game, I became on of those people who demanded to know why the call did not go the way I thought it should. I felt cheated by the Officials.

This is what happened in my words: A Penn State Player had fumbled the ball, and ALABAMA player picked it up  and ran.  He was tackled just short of a touch down, and the Penn State player stripped him of the ball. Then another ALABAMA player picked it up and he too was tackled, before he could reach the end zone, landing in such a way that AFTER he was down he lost the ball and a Penn State player pounced on it. However, to me and my parents the ball was in ALABAMA procession when the play ended. Yet, the officials gave it to Penn State, even after reviewing it. I don’t understand that call and I would like it explained to me.

As a comparison this is how Tuscaloosa News’ s Tommy Deas reported it: “After Alabama marched 97 yards following the first turnover to take a 14-0 lead, Penn State surged back, again driving to the Alabama 20. This time, a crazy play ended the threat when Barron (Mark Barron #4, safety Alabama) forced a fumble, safety Robert Lester (Robert Lester #37 Alabama) recovered and returned it 89 yards only to be stripped from behind by Penn State receiver Derek Moye. The Nittany Lions (Mascot) were awarded possession at their own 2 line after a review by officials.”

Anyway, while watching the game my mom asked my dad what each of the officials was called. During his response my mother asked me if I was paying attention. Of course I wasn’t really, but I did begin to listen.

For general knowledge, officials are responsible for enforcing the rules of the game, monitoring the game clock and play clock, and recording all rule infractions. As I said early they are often called refs, as I did and still do, but they are in fact officials and there is only one referee on the field. There are seven officials: the Referee (R), the Umpire (U), the Head Linesmen (H), the Line Judge (L), the Back Judge (B), the Field Judge (F) and the Side Judge( S).  A main way to tell them apart are the letters on the back of there shirts, however, if you’re not watching a game on TV or close to the field the chances are you may not be able to see what they say is where they are positioned on the field.

Referee- stands behind the offensive team favoring the passing hand of the quarterback. He has control of the game and is generally the final authority in all decisions.  You can pick him out because he is the one in the white hat while the other guys are in black. He announces the penalties to the crowd, as well as, explaining penalties to the offending team's captain and to the head coach of the offending team and inform him of who it was called against.

Umpire- lines up about five yards off the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. He is responsible for checking the legality of the players' equipment, counting the offense to make sure there are no more than 11 men on the field, and he assists the referee on decisions involving possession of the ball, as well as, record all timeouts, scores, and the winner of the coin toss.

Head Linesman- straddles the line of scrimmage on the sideline designated by the referee. He is supposed to watch for possible violations like offsides and encroachment. He rules on all out-of-bounds plays on his side of the field. Keeping tabs on the chain gang (Assistants to the officials whose job is to mark where a team begins a series and how far they need to go to get a first down.) And watching for illegal motion, illegal shifts, illegal use of hands, illegal men downfield.

Line Judge- is on the opposite side of the field from the head linesman. He assists the head linesman on in making illegal motion, illegal shifts, offside and encroachment calls, the umpire with illegal use of the hands and holding calls, the referee on false start calls and supervises the timing of the game and substitutions by the team on his side of the field.

Back Judge- Stands 20 yards deep in the defensive backfield on the wide receiver side of the field. He counts the defensive team making sure they have no more than 11 players on the field. Watches all eligible receivers on his side of the field, ruling on the legality of catches and pass interference penalties.  On kick returns watches for clipping(an illegal hit in which a player hits an opponent from behind, typically at leg level) and on field goals, standing under the goalpost and rules on whether the kick is good.

Field Judge- Stands 25 yards deep in the defensive backfield on the tight end side of the field. He is keeps track of the play clock and call delay of game if it expires. Rules on plays that cross the defense's goal line and on the legality of catches and pass interference penalties on the strong side of the field. Marks the spot where a play goes out of bounds on his side of the field.

Side Judge- The official that lines up 20 yards deep in the defensive backfield on the head linesman side. He is essentially responsible for the same things as the  Back Judge.

So those are the officials and a little bit of what they have to do. And you would think that with so many eyes they could catch everything, but alas there is human error. A part of the game that I hope never goes away. Because perfection is boring.

A Football Team Tackled Me!

As I have mentioned that I have never played football, so how did a football team tackle me?

Well, when I was in elementary school and my sister was in the high school band I was volunteered as a Sideline helper.  What is a sideline helper? Good question. In my case a sideline helper was someone who helped the band and the dance team, known as Dorians, set-up for the half-time show. My responsibility was to lay down the flags the Dorians were going to use in the right place and then to retrieve them after they were done. I think that it was my experience as a sideline helper that really made me love marching bands and the drums. There is something about a good marching band that is just exciting and they tend to provide such energy to a football game that nothing else can.

Anyway, I was often on the opposite side of the field from where everyone else lined up, which also meant that I was out of the way. However, on this one occasion I was not. My position had me right smack dab in the middle of the exit path of the  ’98 Vestavia Hills High School Football Team. By the time I saw the wave of boys in helmets and pads coming at me it was to late to move; and I ‘m not sure where I would have moved if I’d had the time. So I stood my ground. And before I knew it I was knocked down to the ground on my butt, by what I thought were some pretty massive boys.  I brought my hands to my head for protection and sat there hoping that known of them would step on me.

It felt like I sat that way for forever. It was probably just a few seconds, but a few seconds of panic. Until the biggest boy I’d ever seen, in person that is, stood over me and began to shout at his teammates to beware of the little girl they rushing. This kid was terrifying and to me it was like he had just spilt the Red Sea. He then helped me up and told me to be careful. And it was over and not really a big deal. But to my 11 year-old self it had been terrifying and exciting. And now I feel that if I could take on an entire high school football team at 11 and survive I should be able to take on any team at 22+.

So bring it on, because a football team tackled me.

Built Like a Linebacker!

That is something that every little girl hopes to hear, right? Of course not, but lucky me I not only heard it I was told it.

 When I was in the 4^th or 5^th grade my class was going on a field trip, so to make sure no one got lost and because there was no bus systems we were split into groups and each assigned a parent as our chaperone. Now I don’t remember who this woman was, but I will never forget how she tried to make small talk. We introduce ourselves and she looks at me and says, “ Wow you’ve got broad shoulders. You know you’re built a lot like my son; he’s a linebacker.”

Now, how is one supposed to respond to that? I knew that a linebacker was a position in football, but I had no idea what one looked like or if it was supposed to be a compliment or an insult. At the time I did know that a linebacker had to be someone strong and in that point in my life I was supper proud of how strong I was. My mom, my sister and me used to joke about the “ My child is an honor student” bumper stickers that my mom should get one and get another one that said “My other child will beat up your honor child.”; my sister being the honor student. So I took the woman’s statement as a compliment. But as I look back on it I’m not sure it was and when I went through that awkward becoming a teen-phase I would think back to that comment and it would make me sad. Not so much the linebacker comment, but that she compared me to her son.

But now I’ve overcome such things, kind of.

So what is a linebacker? A Linebacker or LB is a defensive player who lines up behind the and back from the line of scrimmage, basically the linebackers are a team's second line of defense. Their position gives them an advantage as they get too view the offense once the action starts. This gives them time to prepare to make decisions about what they perceive the offense is doing and what they, as the defense, need to do to stop  them from gaining yardage or scoring.

                              

There are different kinds of linebackers: strongside & weakside/ outside and middle/inside. So as I understand it the strongside linebacker is there to play a kind of one-on-one defense to an offensive player who posses a greater threat than normal, like a player with a lot of speed and good hands. It is the strongside linebacker’s job to keep this kid from getting the ball. Then there is the weakside linbacker and contrary to what one might think, the weakside linebacker is not weak. His job is to take the side opposite of the strongside, the less protected side, and attack the or shut down the quarterback. Then the middle linebacker is there to take down any of the receivers who might catch the ball. As I said they are the second line of defense if or when the receiver gets the ball it is the middle linebackers job to make sure this guy goes down as soon as possible.

So from that you learn that a linebacker must be strong, quick and fast-thinking and that they are doing their job when the ball doesn’t move very far from the line of scrimmage.

So am I really built like a linebacker? Maybe I was built like a fourth grade linebacker. But I am definitely not a College linebacker. I went and looked at the ALABAMA roster to see how much these guys weighed and what their heights were. On average these guys are 230-260 and while I don’t like to comment on my weight we aren’t  close and in height we are father off, as these “boys” range from the short 6-1 to the tall 6-6. Let’s just say that they are giant.

I am no Linebacker. And I definitely do not have the speed, but I will accept strong and fast-thinking.

Please excuse any typos or errors.

To those who may be reading,

        I wrote the next three post almost three years ago now, and I know that this is ridiculous and I can offer many excuses. But I won’t. I just ask that you excuse any typos or grammar errors and enjoy. Hopefully the next few will come a bit faster.

Thanks,

 JoJo

So, what is a get back coach?

So, what is a get back coach?
This is what I know; the get back coach is the one responsible for keeping everyone “back” on the sideline.

Okay, so, why? Well, I’m not totally sure, but in watching football for let’s say 16 years-- which would suggest that I should know more than I do… oh well--the players not on the field and the coaches cannot interfere with the games action. Makes total sense, right?

But what is the rule? So I went to the Internet, to NCAA.org for football rules, which is a bit wordy and complicated. So here it is simply.

On the sideline, there is a line a couple of feet past the out-of-bounds line or the limit line, which everyone on the sideline is supposed to stay behind, either within the coaches box or in the team area. This is to insure that no one interferes with the officials, the chains that mark yardage or the action on the field. If someone crosses this line, the official will warn the sideline, too many warning leads to a penalty.

But you may be asking, “Huh? What’s the difference between the coaches box and team area?”

According to NCAA.org, the coaches box is the area behind the limit line and between the coaching line only coaches are allowed in this area. Behind the coaching line is the team area, which is “limited to squad members in full uniform and a maximum of 60 other individuals directly involved in the game”.

Being a get back coach seems like a simple job, but if it were simple, then there would be no penalties called. There are numerous people on the sidelines to try and control. Because besides the team, which can vary but averages at 125 players, plus the coaches, plus the 60 additional team personal allowed on the field. That’s a lot of people.

Never having been that close to the action, my idea of a get back coach comes from high school and movies. He is the guy on the sidelines that you know must have a role to play, but that you know isn’t the head coach. He is screaming and yelling and often using profanity to keep the players on the sideline, focused on the game, and inline.

An example for me is in Remember the Titans: Coach Boone’s (Denzel Washington) assistant coach, Coach Paul “Doc” Hines (Greg Allen Williams). It is not so much who he is, but what he does. For those of you who have not seen the movie, you totally should, and I say this not just as a sports movie fanatic. It is a good, fun movie. There is a scene during the first part of the movie when the team is still at training camp.

Gerry calls Julius out during practice and a mini shoving match begins, the camera pains to Denzel, he says “ You got it.” Williams responds, “ I got it.” Williams then steps toward the boys and in a commanding tone states, “Y’all didn’t come out here to practice cause champions pay the price. Lookin’ like a bunch of bums out here.” It is short and sweet, but I love it.

It is his actions in that moment that make the get back coach real for me. But in this case it is unlikely that he is the get back coach. As my sister has pointed out to me “JoJo, he’s the defensive coordinator. I think. He’s definitely more than a get back coach”. But also during the dining hall scene you will see multiple coaches eating at the table it is more likely that one of those men is the get back coach. But it is the action to me that says, “Get back!”

My father has informed me that a get back coach doesn’t have to be a conditioning coach. That in high school the get back coach is usually someone like the wrestling coach. He knows football and the boys, and knows how to whip them into shape. But that in college, besides a conditioning coach, it is more likely that the he is a graduate student who is looking to become a coach or who plans to go into some other aspect of sports management.

Does that mean that I would have to go to grad school? We shall see.

I wanna be a get back coach!

I wanna be a get back coach!

What made me come to this conclusion you may ask? Something you should know is that I am a recent college graduate and I am currently trying to find a job. Not sure what exactly I want to do with my life, I am currently applying for anything that I sound qualified for and that I think could be fun. On several occasions during interviews, I have been asked where I see myself in five years. I hate this question, because I have no idea. So what does this have to do with my new declaration? Everything.

On Sunday August 8th, I went to fan day at the University if Alabama with my sister where I saw a coach yelling at the football players to hustle. We couldn’t hear anyone else’s voices coming from the field, but we could hear him and it cracked me up. I leaned toward my sister and told her, “Now that’s something I could do.” I mean how much fun would it be to get paid to yell at these huge guys without fear of being crushed. You would get to be a part of the action, down with the players, and yet without all of the responsibilities of the head coach.

I asked my sister who she thought the guy was. She told me that she had to assume it was the conditioning coach warming up the players. If you have never seen a practice or even a football game, there are a lot of people on the field besides the football players and the head coach. There’s the defensive, offensive, and the special teams coaches, and those are just the ones I am aware of with my limited knowledge. Then you have the grad assistants who assist with practice and those students learning to be athletic trainers, which look like water boys/girls and stretcher-outers. So you can see how I wouldn’t know for sure who the screaming lunatic-like man on the field could be.

When practice was over and we were in the car, I began to compose a letter to Coach Nick Saban, head coach of the Crimson Tide, and Mal Moore, the athletic director at UA. At the time it was just a joke, something that my sister and I could laugh at. But I began to think what was the worst thing that could happen if I did indeed write to Saban and Moore? The worst thing was that they wouldn't even read it. That in no way could hurt me, but I thought what if they did read it and respond to me. Wouldn’t that be cool? Jokingly my sister said that I could start a blog about that. But I thought that would be the lamest and perhaps shortest blog ever. “Hey, I wrote a letter and then I heard nothing.” Who would read that? So the next idea that we discussed was the road to writing these letters. I could make videos with myself yelling at people while they worked out to show my skills. And yet while it seemed plausible, we were still in joking mode.

For those of you who know football, and even those who don’t, you must have realized by now that I know little about football. And while it is nice to believe, for me at least, that I could just be a get back coach without having any knowledge of the sport, it is not realistic in the least. You have to understand that while I have always been an Alabama fan, I know almost nothing about football, as my sister quickly pointed out to me when she began naming positions and plays, and I had no idea what she was talking about.

The more I thought about it, the more excited I got, so when my parents drove up on Tuesday night, I quickly told my Dad that I wanted to be a get back coach. He laughed, but the next day he informed me that he had told his Sunday school class at lunch. It was at that point that I knew I had myself a goal. With the Sunday school class informed, I felt that I had been locked in. That I had to write this blog, and that it could no longer be just a joke. So here it is, my blog about becoming a get back coach.

In five years I plan to be a get back coach at the University of Alabama or at least further down the path to that goal.

Creating this blog is step one. But there are lot of steps that will follow, and I will try to keep y’all informed each step of the way.

My second step is to learn about football.