snap infraction

DanSummers · #1 (**permalink**) Wed Nov 06, 2002, 09:27pm

ball slips out of snappers hand and rolls through his legs on the ground. snapper turns around picks ball up and throws to the kicker. Is this an illegal snap??????? This happen in NF/High School Football

KWH · #2 (**permalink**) Thu Nov 07, 2002, 03:49am

Quote:

Originally posted by DanSummers
ball slips out of snappers hand and rolls through his legs on the ground. snapper turns around picks ball up and throws to the kicker. Is this an illegal snap??????? This happen in NF/High School Football

See NFHS Rule 2-38-1 and 2
Since what happened does not meet the definition of a "SNAP",You have a snap infraction at most.
However if it didn't draw the defense I would treat it as a no call, (similar to the wind blowing the ball off the tee just prior to a kickoff.) Of course you would have had to blow it dead prior to the center turning around and throwing the ball to the kicker.

My 2cents

ABoselli · #3 (**permalink**) Thu Nov 07, 2002, 04:10pm

The snap, as I recall, must leave the snappers hands and touch the ground or a backfield player before a member of A's line may touch it. In order for him to legally possess it again, he had to have turned around so he's facing his own goal line and at least 1 yard behind the LOS.

Those are all rules, I believe were put in there to guard against the fumblerooski play. I think there's a snap infraction here as soon as the center touches it again. Kill it.

AndrewMcCarthy · #4 (**permalink**) Thu Nov 07, 2002, 10:48pm

I believe the first part of ABoselli's comments are correct but I disagree with "In order for him to legally possess it again, he had to have turned around so he's facing his own goal line and at least 1 yard behind the LOS."

That restriction has to do with handing the ball forward (7-3-2b).

This play, which I'm envisioning has the snapper with his hand(s) on the ball and having it squirt out and rolling between his legs before ever attempting to snap it, is a violation of 7-1-3a. "Following the ready-for-play and after touching the ball, the snapper shall not remove both hands from the ball."

Snap Infraction, dead ball foul.

If the snapper had "whiffed" on the snap, had it roll between his legs, turned around, picked ball up and thrown to the kicker? I say play on!

4 Sport Official · #5 (**permalink**) Fri Nov 08, 2002, 04:22pm

From my perception of the play described at the beginning of the thread, I have a snap infraction, if, for no other reason, for the simple fact that it sounds like this ball has not left the ground. By definition, a snap is "the legal act of passing or handing the ball backward from its position on the ground."(NF 2-38-1) Also, "the movement must be a quick and continuous motion of the ball during which the ball immediately leaves the hand(s) of the snapper..."(NF 2-38-2).

Tom Cook · #6 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 11, 2002, 06:36pm

I think that this is going to be just like a scrimmage formation snap that hits the ground before it gets to its target (punter or holder). Play on!!

Theisey · #7 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 11, 2002, 08:03pm

Not the same. A long snap has left the snappers hand and has traveled some distance before hitting the ground.
For this snap case, the ball slipped of the hand, basically rolls on the ground, and never left the ground.
This is a snap infraction.
I'd agree with you had the ball say stuck the snappers rear end and dropped to the ground.