Quote:
Originally posted by ref18
Just to start up a bit of argument it looks like you guys are intentionally setting aside a rule. If the book says 12 on the field at the snap is a 15 yard penalty, then call it that.
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Not quite that simple. The book has two different fouls for too many men. They are called under different conditions.
Illegal substitution is a 5-yard penalty. It's usually a dead-ball foul that occurs when a substitute enters the field, and no one gets off after a few seconds. (It can also be a live-ball foul, if the extra man is running off the field, but hasn't made it yet, at the snap.)
Illegal participation is a 15-yard penalty. It occurs (among other situations) when the offense has too many players in its formation at the snap, or when the extra player participates in the play (which, for the defense, doesn't take much).
Most officials down this way are instructed to try and catch the team with the extra man before the snap, enforcing the dead-ball 5-yard penalty for IS. If we only notice after the snap, it becomes a live-ball 15-yard penalty for IP. The theory is to try to keep the impact of the foul on the game as small as possible.