The kicking game is without question the area that causes more headaches for officials than any other single segment of the game. That is partly because the coverage areas are so large, and the officials are scattered from one end of the field to the other.

Another contributing factor is that many times the more highly skilled players are taking a break during the "special teams" plays. As pointed out in the grabber, the most critical aspect of the kicking game is the onside kick.

Officials have problems with this play simply because it is not a situation they get to work on often. How many scrimmages or spring games (when you can experiment with mechanics) have you worked where the teams ever do this? The answer most give to this question is "None." So what needs to be addressed on this play?

Continued...