illegal screen

[Todd VandenAkker]

Good point, Dave. That's the mechanic I use, too. I usually verbalize the "illegal screen" part to the player, but always when I report to the table so they and the coaches are clear on what I had. But you're right, by pointing the other way most people already know that's probably what happened (though it could also include a couple of other calls on the offense as well).

[Alaska Ref]

Definition = rule 4 Section 7 Art 1 Blocking is illegal personal contact which impedes the progress of an opponent.

Rule 4 Sections 39 Art 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 give's you the different "LEGAL" means to screen a player without causing contact.

There is no Mention of an "illegal Screen" that i can find in the rule book. I was taught that there is "no such thing as an illegal Screen only the contact that results from that screen."

I have heard coaches and fans screaming "ILLEGAL SCREEN"
"ILLEGAL SCREEN" when there is no such thing and no such
mechanic.

Keep the block signal, and use the push signal when the screenie pushes his way through the screen.

Good Luck All,

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by Alaska Ref

I have heard coaches and fans screaming "ILLEGAL SCREEN"
"ILLEGAL SCREEN" when there is no such thing and no such
mechanic.

Your fans most be a lot smarter than our fans down here in the lower 48! Most have no idea what constitutes illegal contact on a screen. They think that a huge collision is an illegal screen.

But I don't think "Illegal Contact!" or "Block!" conveys to the fans, players or coaches that we had illegal contact on a screen. I think you're just playing with the semantics.

Personal preference is "Illegal Screen!" for me. It's certainly not in the same class as "Over the back!", which I will never use. But I'm not going to change your mind and you're not going to change mine.

Take care Don!

Tony

[Todd VandenAkker]

Originally posted by Alaska Ref
There is no Mention of an "illegal Screen" that i can find in the rule book. I was taught that there is "no such thing as an illegal Screen only the contact that results from that screen."

I have heard coaches and fans screaming "ILLEGAL SCREEN"
"ILLEGAL SCREEN" when there is no such thing and no such
mechanic.

Of course there is such a thing as an illegal screen, and of course it involves contact that is, by definition, illegal. The proper SIGNAL for it is "block," but an illegally or improperly set screen that results in contact is a foul and can justifiably be verbalized as an illegal screen. Obviously we're not going to (purposely) whistle a screen that does NOT result in contact. The Rules Book itself refers to "legal action by a player" (4-39-1) and "legal screening position" (4-39-2, 10-6-3d), so it's not much of a stretch to call an IL-legal screen. The infamous "over-the-back" call, by contrast, is much less precise, does not specifically refer to or distinguish between illegal vs. legal contact, and thus should be avoided. Verbalizing "illegal screen" does not, IMHO, entail those faults and DOES convey a specific illegal action.