Covering the deep folks

A 5-man crew adds a Back Judge, normally 15-20 yards off the line, with arguably the best position to see a developing play.  Now, eligible receiver keys at the snap come into play with the Back Judge (BJ), Line Judge (LJ), and Head Linesman (L) all focusing — at least initially — on different eligible receivers, depending on the formation. For instance,

Let's say A is in a trips formation to L's side. Here BJ takes the outside eligible receivers and L has the inside receiver. The receivers' routes may change which official ultimately covers them, but at least to start the play each official knows where to focus.

Inside out

In my book, the best aspect of having the 5th official is that BJ, in combination with a wing official, now gives each play an inside and outside perspective, without having to rely on the Umpire for the inside look. BJ should also always be behind the deepest receiver(s). Remember the example in Part II:

Continued...