[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by BoomerSooner

During my son's 6th grade football game tonight I learned that an illegal formation and a false start are both dead ball fouls because they have the same signal.

The sequence of events surrounding this actually reminded me of the "we need a new signal for illegal formation" thread a recall from few months ago. While the opposing team had the ball, I see the linesman on the far side throw/drop a flag at the snap. From my viewpoint I didn't see anybody in motion so I ruled out an illegal shift/motion and thus assumed it had to be an illegal formation. Following the play, the referee gives the illegal formation signal and I think to myself "nailed it", but inexplicably my son's coach isn't given an option to decline the penalty despite a short loss on the play that would have brought up 4th and long. It turned out it was a false start and the linesman forgot to blow it dead. Nobody really complained that much and I only whispered to my wife that it should have been a dead ball (to which she replied, "yes, I know" in that way that lets me know I've explained it to her one or maybe fifty times too many).

The other team converts the 3rd down, and two plays later, the linesman throws a flag and blows the play dead. I immediately thought, "you have to appreciate a guy that learns from his mistakes." Unfortunately I was premature in this thought as I hear him yell "5 in the backfield" to the referee. My son's coach yells that illegal formation is a live-ball foul and it is at this point that I hear the linesman say, "C'mon coach, you know they have the same signal and they're both 5 yarders. They're basically the same thing".

No new signal is needed for clarity on false start. The referee should first give the hand-up dead ball signal, then follow it by the illegal-procedure arms roll.