Football Rules Changes - 2019
BY STATE ASSOCIATION ADOPTION, USE OF VIDEO REVIEW ALLOWED FOR STATE POST-SEASON CONTESTS [1-3-7 NOTE (NEW), TABLE 1-7 – 1-3-7 NOTE (NEW)]
Rationale: By state association adoption, instant replay may only be used during state postseason contests to review decisions by the on-field game officials. This adoption would allow state associations to develop protocols for use of video replay.
IMPROVED VISIBILITY OF NUMBERS [1-5-1c, 1-5-1c(6) (NEW)]
Rationale: The purpose of numbers on jerseys is to provide clear identification of players. In order to enhance the ability to easily identify players, the committee has clarified the size requirements for jersey numbers through the 2023 season. The committee also added a new requirement that, effective in the 2024 season, jersey numbers must be a single solid color that clearly contrasts with the body color of the jersey.
REDEFINED REQUIREMENTS FOR A LEGAL SCRIMMAGE FORMATION (2-14-1, 7-2-5a)
Rationale: A legal scrimmage formation now requires at least five offensive players on their line of scrimmage with no more than four backs. This change will make it easier to identify legal and illegal offensive formations.
40-SECOND PLAY CLOCK (2-35-1, 3-6-1, 3-6-2a, 7-2-1)
Rationale: To have a more consistent time period between downs, the rules committee approved situations where 40 seconds will be placed on the play clock. The new rule defines when 40 seconds will be placed on the play clock and when 25 seconds will be placed on the play clock.
PROHIBITION ON TRIPPING THE RUNNER [2-45, 9-4-3o (NEW), 9-4-3o PENALTY (NEW)]
Rationale: In an effort to decrease risk, tripping the runner is now prohibited. It is now a foul to intentionally use the lower leg or foot to obstruct a runner below the knees.
ILLEGAL KICKING AND BATTING PENALTY REDUCED (6-2-1 PENALTY, 9-7 PENALTY)
Rationale: The penalty for illegally kicking or batting the ball was reduced from 15 yards to 10 yards.
HORSE-COLLAR TACKLE ADDITION (9-4-3k)
Rationale: Grabbing the name plate area of the jersey of the runner, directly below the back collar, and pulling the runner to the ground is now an illegal personal contact foul.


2019 EDITORIAL CHANGES
1-1-9, 1-3-6, 1-5-5, 1-6-1 NOTE, TABLE 1-7, 2-6-2b, 2-8, 2-24-3, 2-25-1, 2-26-5, 2-28-1, 2-43, 3-1-2, TABLE 3-1, 3-3-1, 3-4, 3-4-1, 3-4-2, 3-4-3, 3-4-4, 3-4-5, 3-4-6, 3-4-8, 3-5-2 NOTE b, 3-5-3, 3-5-6, 3-5-7j, 3-5-9, 3-5-10, 3-5-10a, 3-6-2d, 4-1-6, 4-3-6, 5-2-2, 5-2-4, 5-3-1, 5-3-2 NOTE, 6-5-4, 6-5 PENALTY, 7-1-5, 7-1-7, 7-2-6, 7-2 PENALTY, TABLE 7-5-2, TABLE 7-5, 8-3-2, 8-5-2 EXCEPTION, 9-2-3a, 9-3 PENALTY, 9-4 PENALTY, 9-4-6b, 9-9-5 NOTE, 10-4-2c EXCEPTION, 10-5-1c, 10-5-1j, Resolving Tied Games, Nine-, Eight-, Six-Player Rules Differences, Penalty Summary, Index.
2019 POINTS OF EMPHASIS

1. Proper Procedures for Weather Delays
2. Free-Blocking Zone and Legal Blocking

For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy! ​

WEEK 12: MISCELLANEOUS

1. Have a short memory.
It’s important to have a short memory when it comes to a missed call. An official who stews over a missed call on one play loses focus and is more likely to miss several subsequent calls.

2. Don’t take comments to heart.
There will be times when coaches or others will approach you to tell you what a good job you did. Take those kudos with a grain of salt. If you believe them when they say you’re great, you have to believe them when they say you stink. Ask crewmates for input on your performance. Fellow officials know the rules and mechanics better than non-officials and are more likely to give you an honest and accurate appraisal.

3. Use cross-field mechanics when appropriate.
The official on the side of the field on which a play ends may have players blocking his view. The official on the opposite side is likely to have a good open look and can help with the spot. When blocked out on the sideline, look across the field to see where your counterpart has marked the spot. Then go to it like you knew it all along.

4. Always count the players.
Make eye contact with other officials who count the same team. If you have 11, extend your fist in front of you. If you count less than 11, place your palms on your chest and splay your fingers. If you count more than 11, place two fingers of each hand on your chest. If the official you’re looking at gives a different signal, you should both quickly recount until you agree. If you don’t complete your count before the ball is snapped, officiate the play. As soon as it’s over, quickly count the team in question. If the count reveals there are more than 11, throw your flag. That’s illegal participation. When the ball is dead, pay attention to substitutions. If your team doesn’t substitute, guess what? You’ve still got 11. But you still need to signal to your crewmate.
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WEEK 11: KICKING
1. When determining the penalty for hitting a kicker, the leg makes a difference.
Punters in the act of kicking and who have just completed the kick are unable to protect themselves. The rules offer protection in the form of two fouls — roughing and running into the kicker. The punter’s non-kicking leg is vulnerable, whether or not it is planted on the ground. When the defender contacts that leg, there should be no question that roughing the kicker is the call. The lesser foul is usually appropriate for contact on the kicking leg, including when the defender rolls under the kicker. Remember, however, that a rusher who touches the ball and then unavoidably contacts the kicker is excused. When in question, the foul is roughing, not running into.

2. Beanbags are important implements on kick plays.
Beanbags are used to mark non-penalty spots. Two of those occasions involve the spot where a scrimmage kick ends and the spot where the kicking team touched the ball.
Due to post-scrimmage kick penalty enforcement, the spot where the kick ends (a kick ends when a player gains possession or when the ball becomes dead by rule, such as going out of bounds) is vital. The covering official must drop his beanbag on the appropriate yardline in case it becomes a spot of penalty enforcement.
When the kicking team is first to touch a kick, the spot at which that touching occurs is important. Depending on the outcome of the play, the receiving team may choose that spot for its new series.
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For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy! ​

WEEK 10: SCORING PLAYS
1. When in question, it is not a touchdown.
Touchdowns should be earned rather than awarded on a technicality. Be sure the ball is in the runner’s possession and that it breaks the plane of the goalline. Wing officials earn their salt by being able to discern the location of the ball when a runner takes the ball into the middle of the line on a goalline play. Don’t mirror a signal made by another official unless you are positive of your call. Two wrong signals don’t equal one correct call.

2. When in question, it is not a safety.
The entire ball must be out of the end zone in order for a team to avoid a safety. That being the case, because a safety is a scoring play, the offense is given the benefit of doubt if the official is unsure of the location of the ball.
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For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy! ​

For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy! ​

For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy! ​

For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy! ​

 WEEK 6: CATCH

1. Consider all external factors when ruling catch vs. no catch.
Sometimes players make a tough call for you. One example is an attempted diving or shoestring catch. If the receiver’s shoulders slump, he expresses disgust verbally or otherwise indicates disappointment, he’s telling you the pass was incomplete. Not that seeing him jump up and “show you the ball” automatically means he caught it. But lack of that or a similar gesture is a pretty good clue.
A spray of those tiny black rubber pellets on a turf field, a splash of water on a wet day or a poof of dirt on a dry track may also be helpful.

2. In order to complete a catch, a player must touch the ground while he is in control of the ball.
If the ball is lost after the receiver has touched the ground, due to contact or not, it should be ruled an incomplete pass instead of a fumble unless the receiver has clearly demonstrated complete control of the ball. Complete control is indicated by taking a step, tucking the ball away or some other action ordinarily associated with running with the ball.

3. The umpire can be extremely helpful in determining a catch or trap.
Some high school umpires continue to watch the action in the line after a pass is thrown, sometimes for several seconds, whereas collegiate umpires are taught to pivot the instant the pass is off so as to help the wing and deep officials with catch or trap plays over the middle. Indeed, a catch or trap 10 yards from the line of scrimmage and in the middle of the field is one of the toughest calls to deal with. An alert umpire who spins when the pass is thrown can save the crew by making the call himself or helping another official who has to try to make the call while looking through the receiver’s back.

4. When in doubt, the pass was trapped rather than caught.
If it is not certain a catch was made, it is an incomplete pass. The covering official can be guided by the position of the receiver’s hands. If his hands are under the ball, the likelihood that it’s a catch is increased. At least one official must observe the ball possessed by a player without it having touched the ground.

5. The official who is closest to play may not always have the best look when judging catch/no catch.
The official who is closest may be so close he is not be able to see the whole picture. An official who may be a little farther away can see the whole picture and may have the best look to determine a catch or no catch. Think of taking a group picture with a camera without a zoom lens; you have to back up away from the group of people to get everyone in the photo.
ick here to edit.

For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy!  ​

For the next 12 weeks, The End Zone will be advice from the "Next Level" series in Referee Magazine.  I hope you all take advantage.  There is some great advice here.  This is a great way to enhance your off-season training.  Whether you're a grizzled veteran or a just getting started, this is information we can all use.  Enjoy!  ​

WEEK 4: HOLDING

1. Actions that constitute offensive holding include but are not limited to the following six categories:
• Tackle. A tackle as a block is most likely to occur as part of a block below the waist at the line. It is also an act of desperation by an offensive lineman badly beaten by a defender.
• Takedown. A takedown is often fairly obvious. It may momentarily look like a wrestling match. A size mismatch between blocker and rusher increases the probability of a takedown. A factor to keep in mind is that backfield pass blockers are often smaller than defensive linemen, making the need for an “equalizing” technique more probable.
• Pullover. The pullover almost always occurs on a pass play. The offensive lineman grabs his opponent at the armpits or chest plate of the shoulder pads and then pulls him over himself, making it look like the defender ran over his blocker and fell down in the process.
• Hook and resist. In order to hook an opponent, the blocker must allow his hands to get outside the frame of his body. That is usually easily discernible. For a foul to occur, that act must result in a restriction that affects the play. If the defender immediately blows through the extended arm, no holding has occurred.
• Grab and restrict. If the defender beats his blocker, the blocker may grab the defender’s jersey as he is moving away. The jersey grab can be subtle or patently obvious.
• Jerk and restrict. This type of hold begins with two hands on the opponent’s chest. After contact is made, the blocker slides his hands up under the opponent’s shoulder pads and grabs the jersey. With that firm grasp, the blocker jerks the opponent aside or moves him away from the point of attack, thus delaying his advance.

2. Defensive holding is generally limited to four types:
• Pull and shoot. That tactic used by defensive players (usually linemen) is designed to create a gap in the offensive line. The defensive lineman grabs the offensive lineman and pulls him to one side, allowing a teammate to rush through the opening and rush the quarterback or block a kick.
• Holding a pulling lineman. In order to prevent the offense from setting up the blocking in front of a screen pass or sweep, a defensive player (usually a lineman) will hold a pulling lineman. It often shows up as a shirt-grab or outright tackle.
• Holding on a chip block. That hold begins when an offensive lineman fires out at the snap and legally blocks the defensive lineman (usually but not always a nose guard) below the waist. An adjacent offensive lineman will either fire out or chip block the nose guard, trying to work his way to the second level of defense, usually a linebacker. If the defensive lineman holds the adjacent lineman, he prevents the lineman from getting to the linebacker.
• Holding an eligible receiver. A defensive end will sometimes hold the tight end, preventing the receiver from getting off the line to execute a block or get into a pass pattern. Cornerbacks in press coverage are also known to latch onto wide receivers.

3. If there is a potential offensive holding but the action occurs clearly away from the point of attack and has no (or could have no) effect on the play, offensive holding should not be called.
The runner hits the right side, makes it through the line and gains enough for a first down. But action that qualifies as holding occurs on the opposite side of the line, away from the point of attack.
Was there a rules violation? You bet. Should a flag be thrown? Yes, if officials were inclined to throw the flag for every single violation committed in the game. That, no doubt, would result in a long day for players, coaches and fans. But officials must embrace the advantage/disadvantage philosophy. Color that play gray.
When considering holding, if the offensive player’s act cannot be described using one of the six categories of holding, think twice before throwing the flag. Likewise, if the questionable block is on a player who could not reasonably make the tackle, a verbal warning is in order.
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