[KWH]

Originally posted by sm_bbcoach
OK. so we have a rule that is confusing and contradicts itself. GREAT!!!!

Unfortunatly coach you are correct. You can also expect it to take a couple of years to get all the wording corrected and in sync in the different NFHS publications.

My questions are this: How are we to determine if the foul occured before /after the ball was kicked? I know some will be very easy, but what about the one that happend on the LJ side of the formation. With LJ leaving on the snap and he looks over his shoulder and sees it, how can he determine when the ball was kicked?

My advice would be to
A) See the foul,
B) Look back at the kicker,
C) Throw the flag!

When you look back at the kicker if;
A) He still has the ball PSK is not in effect
B) If the ball is gone, PSK "could be" in effect

So PSK ONLY can occur while the ball is in the air from a kick. Before the kick and once R gains possesion (how ever it happens) PSK can not take place.

Well sort of; PSK can only occur during a "Scrimmage kick."
For the purpose of NFHS PSK enforcment "scrimmage kick" is defined as only the period of time beginning with the kicked ball crossing the Expanded Neutral Zone and the kick ending. The kick ends when;
a) the scrimmage kick is possessed by any player,
b) the scrimmage kick goes out of bounds,
c) the scrimmage kick crosses R's goal line
d) the scrimmage kick is blown dead not in player possession.

I "assume" (uh oh)that when in doubt, it happened after??? the kick.

I would tend to agree!

Seems NF would have made it very easy and just said if the foul happens on a kick play but before the kick ended.

Perhaps. That IS how the NCAA rule is written, therefore add one more difference to the ever growing list of differences between NCAA and NFHS!
I believe the reason the NFHS is different is to allow for the "Clean Hands" principal. In other words "R" must have "clean hands" for PSK to be in effect and to do so they must not foul prior to the kicked ball crossing the ENZ. Hence, the "Cleans Hands" requirement begins with the snap and ends with the kicked ball crossing the ENZ.

Thats my 2 cents...

[Edited by KWH on Jul 25th, 2003 at 08:08 PM]