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Originally Posted by Robert Goodman
What if under the same circumstance he makes a shoulder block with hands kept close to his body? For instance, running parallel near the sideline, the defender with inside position shoulders the A player so he steps out of bounds. Or near the end line, he shoulder blocks him over it.
I know that the old rule in all the codes specifically referred to illegal use of hands, and specifically allowed a block under the old rules (liberalized everywhere else) where the hands had to be kept close to the body, palms inward. And then some time in the 1980s or maybe the early '90s, the NFL, without much fanfare, changed their rule to "illegal use of the hands, arms, or body". They didn't highlight that last bit to the fans because apparently it was thought that a clean body block by defenders never occurred anyway (BBW had already been banned vs. potential receivers). I assume from various remarks that NCAA eventually followed suit; Fed too?
Robert
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My understanding of the rule is that if the receiver is 'no longer a potential blocker' the defense is not allowed to touch him. Definitely some judgement there, but, like Rut, if the receiver is parallel to the defender, or in my judgement, no longer attempting to block him, I will probably determine that he is no longer a potential blocker and give the receiver the benefit of the doubt.