Quote:
Originally Posted by johnny1784
I am very confused with my case book and rules book. Actually the qb barked "set, ready" and then the backs changed and ball was snapped.
Ok, please give me some game situations close to mine that would result in a penalty - illegal shift. Thanks.
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Failure to conclude the shift at least a second before the snap. They call it "illegal shift" as shorthand for that failure. It's not the shifting action itself that's illegal; if there were something illegal about it, it would have to be a false start or encroachment or illegal motion.
At one time the NFL (but no other governing body I'm aware of) had an actual limitation on shifting, and for them calling that violation an illegal shift was quite apt. And for those codes that did not make all encroachment kill the play immediately, shifting (i.e. moving deliberately) thru the neutral zone is illegal by either team, but it's flagged as encroachment IIRC and does kill the play.