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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
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. 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 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. 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. 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 9: OFFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE
1. Actions that constitute offensive pass interference include but are not limited to the following four categories: • Initiating contact with a defender by shoving or pushing off thus creating separation in an attempt to catch a pass. • Driving through a defender who has established a position on the field. • Blocking downfield during a pass that legally crosses the line of scrimmage. • Picking off a defender who is attempting to cover a receiver. 2. Offensive pass interference for blocking downfield should not be called if the pass is nowhere near the contact. If the pass is thrown to one side of the field and a block is thrown on the far opposite side, it is unrealistic to think that defender was prevented from making a play on the ball. It is good preventive officiating to counsel the blocker that the same block may be illegal if it occurs in the vicinity of where a pass is directed. 3. Offensive pass interference should not be called on a screen pass when the ball is overthrown behind the line of scrimmage but subsequently lands beyond the expanded line of scrimmage (up to three yards) and linemen are blocking downfield, unless such blocking prevents a defensive player from catching the ball. Officials realize not everything is black and white; some situations involve shades of gray. Good referees understand that potential interference on a screen pass is one of those gray areas. The art of officiating should be applied to not prolong the series unnecessarily. No advantage is gained by a man downfield on that play. 4. A flag for interference should not be thrown at the instant an offensive player initiates contact downfield. Remember that the play must ultimately involve a pass that flies beyond the neutral zone. If the offense runs the ball or tosses a pass behind the line, the early contact is not illegal. So, when an end hustles out to throw a block on a defensive back or linebacker, you must store that action (and the jersey number of the blocker) in your memory to let the play unfold. Delay the flag until that preliminary block qualifies for a pass interference call. 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 8: DEFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE
1. Actions that constitute defensive pass interference include, but are not limited to, the following six categories: • Early contact by a defender who is not playing the ball is defensive pass interference provided the other requirements for defensive pass interference have been met, regardless of how deep the pass is thrown to the receiver. • Playing through the back of a receiver in an attempt to make a play on the ball. • Grabbing and restricting a receiver’s arm(s) or body in such a manner that restricts his opportunity to catch a pass. • Extending an arm across the body (arm bar) of a receiver thus restricting his ability to catch a pass, regardless of the fact of whether or not the defender is looking for the ball. • Cutting off or riding the receiver out of the path to the ball by making contact with him without playing the ball. • Hooking and restricting a receiver in an attempt to get to the ball in such a manner that causes the receiver’s body to turn prior to the ball arriving. 2. Develop a feel for the legality of contact. When determining whether contact qualifies for an interference call, some officials employ a test similar to the block-charge distinction used by basketball officials. Did the offensive player charge into the contact, or is it a case of unavoidable contact that warrants a no-call? Still other officials think in terms of advantage-disadvantage when deciding whether contact should draw a flag. While those notions can give you a feel for the play and help build consistency in the way you call interference, do not rely on them to the exclusion of knowing and applying the rules. 3. Enforce a penalty only in those cases in which the contact involves an obvious intent to impede the opponent. You will often see a play in which a defender has one arm across the receiver’s back while his other arm reaches across to knock the pass away. Some officials (and most offensive coaches) incorrectly think that should automatically draw a flag for defensive pass interference. However, unless the defender uses the arm across the receiver’s back to grasp, control, spin or slow the receiver, let a good football play stand and keep the flag in your pocket. The same philosophy should apply any time a receiver and defender trip accidentally when their feet entangle. Don’t make a cheap pass interference call when the contact is inadvertent or incidental to fair play. Distinguish those examples of unavoidable or incidental contact, where a no-call is appropriate, from the type of play in which the defender knocks the pass away from a position directly behind the intended receiver. If the defender hits the opponent flush between the numbers when making a move to deflect the ball, defensive pass interference should be called. The penalty is legitimate because the defender could not have broken up the pass without going through the receiver’s body. Calls on pass interference can be tough, close calls. When a safety hits the receiver even a split second before the ball arrives, the contact is illegal. Make sure, though, that you actually see the interference; don’t let crowd reaction influence you to call it. 4. Once the offense throws the ball, all eligible players on both teams have equal territorial rights to move toward, catch or deflect the pass. Do not flag either side when there is a collision (unavoidable or incidental contact) between opponents who are both trying to catch, bat or otherwise make a play on the ball. Know a good, fair football play when you see it and don’t ruin it with an unwarranted penalty. A defender cannot exercise that right, however, if he is not looking for the pass. Thus, two things an official should consider in a potential defensive pass interference call are whether contact occurred and whether the defender was “playing the ball” (looking for it) or “playing the receiver” (looking at him) when the contact occurred. (In NCAA rules, the ball must also be catchable.) There is no foul if a receiver and defender get “tangled feet” and both hit the ground, as long as both of them are looking for the ball; if one is playing the opponent and not the ball, he will draw a flag. 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 7: END OF PLAY 1. The ankle or wrist are considered part of the foot or hand. A runner is down when any part of his body other than a hand or foot touches the ground (the ankle or wrist are considered part of the foot or hand, respectively). Additionally, a runner is not down if any part of his body touches another player (teammate or opponent) who is lying on the ground. 2. When judging forward progress, if a runner appears to be stopped, he should be given an opportunity to escape. If a runner is stopped, forward progress is marked at the ball’s farthest advance. If he breaks free and renews his charge, or runs backward of his own accord, progress is marked at the farthest ball point of his subsequent advance. The most judgmental scenario occurs when a runner breaks free and renews his charge, but staggers and goes down without further contact by the defense. In that situation, “down by contact” is a factor. If the official judges the runner went down as a result of the initial contact, the runner is entitled to forward progress at the spot he was first contacted. If not, forward progress is marked at the spot he went down. When a runner is taken backward, the spirit of the rule entitles him the spot where he was originally contacted unless he is subsequently able to move forward under his own power. Whether the defense continually maintains contact with the runner is not a factor. 3. If legal contact occurs before the runner has a foot down out of bounds, consider it a legal hit. A runner tightroping the sideline presents a challenge for opponents as well as officials. If the defender holds up, thinking he is risking a penalty for a hit out of bounds, the runner will continue to advance. On the other hand, a late hit can lead to player injury or the precursor to a confrontation. As long as the runner is clearly inbounds, and the contact is otherwise legal (e.g. not a horse-collar, striking blow, etc.), consider the hit legal. 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! WEEK 5: PASSING
1. When in doubt if a pass is forward or backward, rule it forward. When a pass is thrown, it’s not always easy to draw an imaginary line from the passer to the receiver. An uncaught backward pass may be recovered and advanced by either team. So ruling it backward when it could go either way actually benefits the defense. Calling it an incomplete forward pass is fair to both teams; the offense can’t gain yardage and the defense benefits because the offense has used up one of its downs. 2. When in question on action against the passer, it is roughing the passer if the defender’s intent is to punish. Remember the prime criteria is whether the contact was unavoidable and part of a legitimate effort to tackle a player holding the ball. If the defender is within one step of the passer, in almost all cases he does not have enough time to react to the release of the ball and legitimate contact should be excused. At the other end of the spectrum is the rusher who is three steps or more away from the passer. In that case, it is clear the defender has enough time to avoid contact. A defender who is two steps away forces the referee to exercise his judgment. Could the contact have been avoided? In making that decision, it is prudent to consider not only whether the defender had control of his feet, but also the control of his arms. In other words, was he truly trying to make a tackle and couldn’t stop, or was he trying to deliver a blow or otherwise inflict punishment upon the offensive player? If the referee believes the defender dove at the opponent’s knees for a purpose other than tackling him, it’s a foul. Likewise, any forearm or shoulder to the head should be considered illegal. 3. A late flag when ruling officiating intentional grounding is the optimum procedure. Two essential elements — duress and the lack of eligible offensive receivers in the area where the pass is thrown — drive the mechanics that make a late flag the optimum procedure. The referee’s primary focus is on the quarterback. If there is duress on the play, the referee must stay with the quarterback a bit longer than usual to ensure that player is not fouled. The opportunity for the referee to watch the flight of the pass is extremely limited. That will only happen if the pass is thrown away from the referee and remains within his field of vision. Consequently, the referee will always know if the pass was released under duress, but will rarely know if there was an eligible offensive receiver in the area where the ball was thrown. That means unless the ball was spiked to the ground for an obvious foul, the referee will not have all the information necessary to throw his flag. For those plays to be called properly, the referee can be assisted by any member of the crew who should run in immediately and tell the referee if the ball went into an area devoid of eligible team A receivers. The referee will then throw a late flag. 4. The referee should drop back the same number of steps as the quarterback drops back. The referee wants to keep everything in his line of sight. By dropping back with the quarterback, the referee is always the same distance away from the quarterback with his actions and can see the whole picture of the field. 5. If an interception is near the goalline (inside the one yardline) and there is a question as to whether possession is gained in the field of play or end zone, make the play a touchback. Team B has just made a great play by intercepting a pass deep in its own territory. To make that team start a new series on or inside its own one yardline effectively negates that play. Also, starting a play at the 20 yardline takes some pressure off you, since you won’t spend the next play(s) on the ensuing drive having to decide if a runner was tackled inside or outside his own end zone. |
Blog AuthorLance Ulrich has been a football official since 2002, and a member of SEFOA since 2009. Archives
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