|
Clock starts on the “ready” or on the “snap”
To know when the clock will start after a penalty, we must know what caused the clock to stop. One magazine said it well, stating that there are “major clock stoppers” and “minor clock stoppers.” With a “major clock stopper”, the clock will start on the snap, and with a “minor clock stopper” the clock will start on the ready. What happened during the down in which the foul occurred determines if we will start the clock on the ready or the snap. If a dead ball foul occurs (false start, late hit, etc…), what happened on the previous down will dictate when the clock will start.
Major clock stoppers –
ball or player with ball ends up OOB,
incomplete pass, whether legal or illegal
COP (change of possession),
delay of game penalty accepted,
time out granted to a team,
attempted try, completed FG, safety, or touchback
period ends
a team attempts to consume time illegally (repeated fouls to stop the clock)
TV or radio timeout
new series to B, not to A following a turn over
Minor clock stoppers –
player ends up with ball in possession and inbounds,
penalty during or between downs,
officials time out for injury, heat & humidity, measurement, coaches conference, equipment repair,
the dreaded inadvertent whistle
new series awarded to A even if a TO is involved
|