New Chain Gang Rule

[travelball]

Nice going TSSAA.....TSSAA has made many bone-headed rule changes over the years, but the new chain, box and clip rule takes the cake. I vote that Ronnie Carter himself runs the chains for a game next week and see for himself how stupid the rule change is....

For people that may not know the new rule on running the sideline chain, it is as followed: You 1st mark the ball with the box, chain stick and clip on the sidelines and then pick up the chains, box and clip and move 6 feet backwards. We were always tripping up the players, coaches, trainers, ball boys, camera men and sometimes ourselves the WHOLE night. For years and years and hundreds of years you always marked the chain on the sideline. But some idiots from the TSSAA said "hey is will be safer"...You can change ANY rule through TSSAA if you use the word safer. What a joke for a new rule.. We were always late getting the ball marked, we tripped up several players, ran over coaches all night long and even run over a 7 year old ball boy...All because we 1st marked on the sideline then move back six feet, then back to the sidelines and back six feet again and ect.

I seen nothing safe about it tonight, but I did see 6 and 7 year old ball boys standing right on the sidelines, NOW that is really safe. I also seen camera men right on the sidelines, Now that is safe too. Change the rule back TSSAA. What a stupid rule. IF the chains were a problem of safety, don't move them six feet back....

Here is a better rule...Have the officials really stress to the chain gang before the game if a player gets close to the sidelines be sure to "DROP THE CHAINS"..

What do coaches and people running the chains think????????/

Nice going TSSAA for screwing something else up.....What is next???????

[DelTavian]

Sounds like some of the guys I talked to in Whitwell tonight.

 

I agree. Stupid move. It's going to cause problems somewhere measuring for someone's first down before long. I'll put money on it.

 

DL.

[AEOTB]

Well the rule is definately something that is hard to get used to. As a sideline photographer myself...I noticed it seemed like no one knew where they were supposed to stand. And everytime we thought we were safe (like you said) we'd have to move again.

[Jim Jibberish]

Slim Jimmy wants to know who made this rule. This is the stupid.

[THE GUN 14]

i dont kno about hs but i had to help run the chain gang at a previous college and we were told to drop em and get the heck out of the way.....i think this is a stupid rule....if nething they shud move the players back six feet and give room for the CG and coaches to move....i realize that some sidelines arent that big but its more important for the CG to have room than for the schools 4th string ball boy to stand right on the sideline and not move................

[TCVeritas]

this was not just a tssaa rule. this rule was passed throughout all states high school governing bodies. being a ref, head linesman myself, it is a lot of work to get these chains set quick enough to keep from slowing down the game. here is something i always tell the crew i am working with on any given night, i would tell them to first get a good mark with the box and clip then move back. take your time and get it right, i promise the ref will not move on until you and I am ready. Also, if you do not have enough room to work, let the ref on your side know, he will drop a sideline warning on the coaches and that will back them up, this is how i handle the new rule. Good luck

[dpemberton]

Say what you want about this new rule, but as a Head Linesman, I like it. YES! It will take some getting use to for all, Chain Gang, Coaches and players but in the end the sideline will be safer for players when the play quickly approaches the side line.

 

All players are supposed to be six feet off the sidelines anyway. So stating just get the players back is not a qood argument. Only three coaches and one maybe two players is all that should be in the coaches box on the sidelines. The Coaches will have to understand that this is a new rule and learn to live with it. But it should only effect 4 maybe 5 people at a time. This rule change will cause more sideline warnings, and penalties for sideline control but that is what it will take for this to work.

 

Most chaingangs that I have worked with are veteran gangs with more years than I have in officating. I love this. It makes my job easier when the chain gang know exactly what to do. However, gangs are very conservative. They don't like change. I understand this but this is not my choice in the rule change. We all must do this. Also, asking the gang to get the sticks down when the play comes near is talking to a wall. You will have a kid pulled out of the stands who will be looking at the girls back in the stands and not paying attention. This is how the rule is safer. The six feet allows a little more reaction time. Especially since the game is getting faster and faster, we all could use more reaction time.

 

As far as photographers and other people on the sidelines, there is supposed to be a dashed line six feet off the field to indicate how close they can get. Under the new rule none of these people will be effected.

 

In short, if everyone follows the rules that have been place for a number of years, this new rule will only affect a few people (three coaches and one or two subsitutes).

[VolunteerGeneral]

this was not just a tssaa rule. this rule was passed throughout all states high school governing bodies. being a ref, head linesman myself, it is a lot of work to get these chains set quick enough to keep from slowing down the game. here is something i always tell the crew i am working with on any given night, i would tell them to first get a good mark with the box and clip then move back. take your time and get it right, i promise the ref will not move on until you and I am ready. Also, if you do not have enough room to work, let the ref on your side know, he will drop a sideline warning on the coaches and that will back them up, this is how i handle the new rule. Good luck

 

I`ve held the box for many years and have never once had a ref warn the other team after telling him to get the team back. Also this is the first I have heard of this rule. No one said a word about it at our game last night. You`d think if it was a new rule the refs would have had us moving back. Of course that would have been difficult since the Germantown players did not stay in the box.

 

But wow i can imagine how hard it is trying to do that. It`s hard enough trying to move the chians along the sideline with all the coaches. We normally have to get on the field to move. But moving it back 6 feet seems like it would be near impossible. One thing for sure...refs will now actually have to do their job and keep the players in the box.

[Boo-yah!]

Question? What about old fields such as Greenbrier where the fence is literally about 6' from the sideline? Will the players have to stand in the stands? Ridiculous decision.

[reddevil1]

Stupid rule? The colleges have been doing it for years. Clinton and Maryville don't have any room on the sideline. Poor planning when the field's were built if you ask me.

[o21putt]

In case all of the genious' that seem to think that the new chain rule is about the TSSAA, get a clue. The TSSAA is only one of many states that make up the National Federation. It also states that the chains being off the field is to be used where possible. I would imagine that most Linesmen will only try to move the chains off the field when the room on the sideline will allow it. There are some very good chain crews that know how to do their job and there are some that don't have a clue that just want to be there to watch the game and yell at the players and try to coach and officiate. Telling them to drop the chains when a play is coming there way is like talking to a brick wall. A good sideline mechanic that should not bother anyone if they are in the proper place on the sideline.

[travelball]

PapatJ, I can tell that you and dpemberton have not ran the chains very much if any, and I know for a fact you two have not ran the chains since the new rule has been in place.

 

dpemberton, when was the last time you were at a football game. I have never in my life seen or heard of a hs team only having 3 coaches and 2 players in the coaches box. What a stupid comment. There are more people in the coaching box than in the stands. Maybe dpemberton and papatj need to run the chains next friday night so they can see for themselves. There are other areas of the game were kids are running on and off the field and through the coaching box, "special teams". With the chains being 6ft. in front of the players, the chains can be gone and out of the way before the players have time to enter or exit the game.

 

I feel sorry for you volunteer general, wait til they make you back up 6 feet.

 

Most chain gangs are volunteer people and with this new and uttermost stupid rule, I can see many people electing not to run the chains because of the hassell on the sidelines.

 

It is a great rule only if you are not a member of the chain gang, coaching staff, camera man, ball boy, ball cleaner, football players, team doctor, team trainer, water boys, and sideline judge. Besides that it is an excellent rule..