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Originally Posted by svm1010
The question in my mind is whether it is legal to be in motion on the line of scrimmage if you are established in the backfield. I can't find any rule prohibiting it or indicating a specified setback (say 1 yard off type of thing) and thus am inclined to rule it legal.
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The phrase "established in the backfield" is misleading you. Being "established" in the way you think does not relieve the player from satisfying the other requirements of the formation & motion rules. If
as the snap begins the player is no longer completely behind the nearest line player, he's not in the backfield. He may have shifted into a line position, but not if he's still in motion!
If the offensive line is somewhat staggered in terms of their positions forward & back, it is conceivable that a player in motion laterally who had set in the backfield and motioned as above could go from a position not in the backfield to one in the backfield, depending on which lineman he was closest to at the time. This could really be a problem for a back in motion between a widely split end and a tackle. Split ends often line up in a very erect stance close to A's restraining line, while the tackle might cheat back to barely break the plane of the snapper's waist. Someone who lined up as flanker just behind the end and then motioned toward the rest of the formation could present a little challenge if you wanted to be technical. However, I think the spirit of the rules is satisfied in that team B would understand the motioning player to be an eligible receiver. Still, if team A was using the A-11 offense, maybe you would want to be technical about it!
Robert