Quote:
Originally posted by SouthGARef
Did they gain an advantage in doing this? Evidently not. Under the example you gave, you were coming up to the line and had not yet counted or blown the ready for play. There was still a good 10 to 20 seconds left until the ball was going to be snapped when the 12th player left the game.
He left the huddle before it "broke" and everyone on the defensive team (including the coach from at least 25 yards away) knew he wasn't participating. The intent of the rule is to keep the defense from lining up to cover 12 and then causing confusion. They didn't do that here. Under the rules, black and white, yes it is a foul. But especially in high school games, we can't call games black and white. Call a) what's obvious b) what gains an advantage c) what affects safety. I don't think this situation falls under any of those categories.
As far as the tripper, if the contact was above the waist I'd say to let it go if I knew for SURE that he did trip (which you shouldn't be throwing the flag if you didn't see the whole play in the first place). Especially if this contact was way behind the play like you said. If it's below the waist, I think we have to throw it. There are too many ways to get hurt if you get hit from behind and below the waist.
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Who's to say that the offense didn't get an advantage. Part of the perceived advantage could be that it took longer for the defense to determine who the 11 players are?
My guideline is 2-3 seconds, typically. And if it's before I blow the RFP, I'm likely not going to notice it at all if the team's in the huddle.