Quote:
Originally Posted by bigjohn
did anyone say anything? Just the fact that they stood up and looked at the sidelines?
that is all it takes?
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Just as in baseball, where the pitcher has legal and illegal ways to deceive a baserunner, so in football the offense has legal and illegal ways to deceive the defense.
Shifts, motion, reverses, hard counts, pump fakes, and play/action passes are all legal and widely accepted modes of deceiving the defense.
Sneaking a receiver from the sideline into the formation at the snap, illegal formations, illegal shifts, and many other "trick" plays are illegal modes of deceiving the defense.
NFHS has articulated the principle I quoted to help officials understand where the line should be drawn between legal and illegal deception. Actions or words that are intended to suggest that a snap is not imminent are illegal. They do not afford the defense a fair opportunity to play the down. The play in the OP qualifies, IMHO.
I think that this play is closer to the line than many. We see many teams that run a no-huddle offense and signal in their calls after the linemen have set. I could see a version of this play where the linemen did not stand up that I'd probably rule as legal: if the line is ready to go, then the defense had better be as well.