6 hours ago, nkypete said:

This is somewhat related.  I have noticed that most crews in NKY always mark the line of scrimmage on the closest hashmark.  Obviously, this makes it easier to determine first downs and the yard line for the scoreboard (and stats) without the need for measurements.  I noticed during the playoffs that crews from other parts of the state were more apt to mark the ball between hashmarks as appropriate.  This does make it very interesting when determining the actual yard line.  For example, Team A is on Team B's 36 yard line (with the ball actually resting between the 36 and 37) and then turns it over on downs.  Now that Team B has the ball going the other way, technically the starting yard line is now their own 37, not the 36, even though the ball doesn't physically move, because you always look ahead to the next yard line (with the exception being the 1 yard line, of course).

Had something like this happen this year. Was ruled the team didn’t make the yard to gain but the only thing that really moved was the box. 
 

Crews tend to prefer the field turf fields because (this is what was told to me) it’s easier for them to see if they need to measure or not. It’s easier visually which makes sense. 

20 minutes ago, barrel said:

Had something like this happen this year. Was ruled the team didn’t make the yard to gain but the only thing that really moved was the box. 
 

Crews tend to prefer the field turf fields because (this is what was told to me) it’s easier for them to see if they need to measure or not. It’s easier visually which makes sense. 

Some fields have horrible crowns on them where I could see it would make things difficult. 

I've ran chains for over 10 years and have never witnessed this. The chains always went to where the ball was spotted.

On 11/15/2021 at 9:37 AM, Hardin County Preps said:

Has anyone ever seen this? Central Hardin had a 4th down and three late in the 4th quarter Friday night. A run play seemed to get the first down but was close enough to require a chain measurement. Instead of securing the ball at the location where the tackle was made, the referee picked the ball up and walked it to the sideline, placed it on the ground and proceeded to measure it with the chain marker? The chain measurement was then short.  I believe that this is an incorrect method of measuring and cannot be considered as accurate as placing the ball down where the player was tackled, then bringing the chains out to that location. This was a strange and key play in the game as Central Hardin was driving for a go- ahead TD. This is the first time that I have ever seen a chain measurement done this way.

That sounds like an incorrect mechanic to me.....and I've done quite a few measurements.

8 hours ago, nkypete said:

This is somewhat related.  I have noticed that most crews in NKY always mark the line of scrimmage on the closest hashmark.  Obviously, this makes it easier to determine first downs and the yard line for the scoreboard (and stats) without the need for measurements.  I noticed during the playoffs that crews from other parts of the state were more apt to mark the ball between hashmarks as appropriate.  This does make it very interesting when determining the actual yard line.  For example, Team A is on Team B's 36 yard line (with the ball actually resting between the 36 and 37) and then turns it over on downs.  Now that Team B has the ball going the other way, technically the starting yard line is now their own 37, not the 36, even though the ball doesn't physically move, because you always look ahead to the next yard line (with the exception being the 1 yard line, of course).

That's a college mechanic. 

6 hours ago, The Double Deuce said:

The only thing more consistently inaccurate than balls being spotted within the field of play is airborne punts being marked where it crossed the sideline.  Absolute wild guesses every single time.

Not if it is done Correctly by the R and BJ. The mechanic is simple and is always (or should be) discussed in the pre game by the crew and taught correctly in training sessions.

5 hours ago, 9068 said:

Not if it is done Correctly by the R and BJ. The mechanic is simple and is always (or should be) discussed in the pre game by the crew and taught correctly in training sessions.

It is still a guess. They have no idea where it actually goes out of bounds. 

9 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

It is still a guess. They have no idea where it actually goes out of bounds. 

IF done correctly, isn't it basically using geometry (where two lines intersect) to place the ball?  The back judge has the easy part, as his line is already established by the sideline.  The harder part is that of the referee, who must determine the path (line) the ball traveled.  I'd imagine they go from where the punter kicked it to where it landed out of bounds.  Then just wait until the BJ crosses between those two points.

But, I agree that on "curving" kicks or those affected by the wind, just seeing where the ball landed does not necessarily indicate it's true path.

22 minutes ago, CincySportsFan said:

IF done correctly, isn't it basically using geometry (where two lines intersect) to place the ball?  The back judge has the easy part, as his line is already established by the sideline.  The harder part is that of the referee, who must determine the path (line) the ball traveled.  I'd imagine they go from where the punter kicked it to where it landed out of bounds.  Then just wait until the BJ crosses between those two points.

But, I agree that on "curving" kicks or those affected by the wind, just seeing where the ball landed does not necessarily indicate it's true path.

Yes, that's my understanding of it as well. 

Still, it is by no means an exact science and they are basically (IMO) giving an estimate of where it went out, which I'm okay with. Not sure how else it could be done to be honest. 

3 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

Yes, that's my understanding of it as well. 

Still, it is by no means an exact science and they are basically (IMO) giving an estimate of where it went out, which I'm okay with. Not sure how else it could be done to be honest. 

Well, the same could be true for a QB sneak.  You've got the entire DL, the OL and the QB, and you're telling me they can accurately spot where the ball was when his knee went down in all that humanity?  If someone needs a half a yard, giving or taking 6 inches can be huge.  I'd argue that has more of an impact on the game than giving/taking 5 yards on a punt that goes out of bounds.

19 hours ago, CincySportsFan said:

Well, the same could be true for a QB sneak.  You've got the entire DL, the OL and the QB, and you're telling me they can accurately spot where the ball was when his knee went down in all that humanity?  If someone needs a half a yard, giving or taking 6 inches can be huge.  I'd argue that has more of an impact on the game than giving/taking 5 yards on a punt that goes out of bounds.

I always found coaches two biggest complaints were forward progress and timing(game clock). Both have huge impacts.