ANEFO

Goal To Go! From the Five to the Goal Line - 2002
By Ed Hickland

You have probably heard the area from the 20 yard line to the goal as the "Red Zone." Offenses and defenses change their strategies once they are in the Red Zone because what worked in the open field may not work in the pressure area of the last twenty yards to the goal.

As officials we must consider a more critical area - from the five-yard line to the goal line. For lack of a better term, let's call it the "Goal Zone." In the Goal Zone, wingmen and the umpire must change their strategy, positioning and movement.

The most important call in this zone is whether a live ball crosses the goal line. The key word is "live." Unlike in the open field every inch can make the difference between six points or turning the ball over with no points. In the last five yards a wingman's first move should be to the goal line and then work back. Using this technique, either the head linesman or the line judge will be on the line if and when the ball punches the plane of the goal line.

When the line of scrimmage is in this area, the wingmen need to keep as wide as possible. There may be a tendency for wingmen moving up to high school varsity to pinch in, believing they can outrun a sweeping back. Two important things to remember are that, it is easier to run forward than backward; and backing up may cause you to turn your head away from the play and miss a critical move. So, do not try to outrun a player, be in position to get a wide view of all the action.

If you stay wide and move to the goal line on the snap whether the play is straight up the middle or sweeps to one side or the other, you will be in position to see the ball cross the goal line. Unlike the open field, wingmen should not move to follow the play as it nears the goal line. Instead move at a slight diagonal away from the sideline when the sweep moves your way. For instance, first and goal from the four yard line. On the snap move immediately to the goal line staying on the sideline. As the sweep forms, move back to about the two yard line. As it approaches the sideline, back up diagonally away from the sideline to get a wide view of the pylon. This will put you directly in line with the goal line plane close enough to rule on whether the ball crosses the plane.

But what happens if the ball does not cross the goal line or you or not sure? Do not guess the ball in. The runner's knee could have touched the ground before the ball was in. In one of my games last season, the runner was down at the end of the play. The line judge ruled the runner stopped short of the goal line. The linesman seeing the ball in the end zone signaled touchdown not realizing progress was stopped outside the end zone. We had to fix a troublesome situation that created one angry coach.

Where there appears to be a disagreement between wingmen, move toward each other and verbalize where to place the ball or to give a touchdown. The umpire can serve a role, but he never signals touchdown even if the ball is five yards deep in the end zone and neither wingmen has signaled touchdown. This is a good place to use silent communication. If the umpire sees something that negates what appears to be a touchdown, he can signal with a discreet thumbs down to the wingmen.

The back judge in the Goal Zone works the back line. He must be positioned to rule on possession of a catch at the back of the end zone.

The last five yards of an offense drive are crucial in any game. Change your strategy to be in position to rule on that all-important touchdown