Quote:
Originally Posted by TrojanHorse
Ok thanks Rich, I just had never seen it called. I truly never thought about this. Now, how long does the cb have to block the gunner. 5yds, until the pass is released? It didnt help us that no one was yelling fake.
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Great questions! Thanks for coming here and asking legitimate questions. I hope it makes you a better coach!
We had a varsity coach who ran a play like this and warned us about it before the game. He even went so far as to have the punter throw the ball high into the air so it appeared to be a punt in flight. While the others who have answered your question are technically right that this is DPI (and could support that call by rule), I'm inclined to give the defender a little leeway in this situation.
In our game, the gunner was not contacted at the LOS and got around the defender. He ran to the middle of the field where the pass was coming down and the defender made a play. He did not interfere but the coach felt that since he ran that play and told us about before the game (and warned me as the wing official before the play) that he should get the call. He would have gotten the call if the defender interfered but in this case he did not. Video supported our no-call as well.