Make The Call: Illegal Screen

[APG]

[Raymond]

The contact is slight but it did put the defender off his course.

Wish the C wasn't so high. He was actually backing away as that pass was being made.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

The contact is slight but it did put the defender off his course.

Agreed, I'm good with a whistle here.

[Da Official]

By rule....definitely ok with the call. Taken by itself I probably wouldn't have called it. I'm thinking the screener was a repeat offender or there had been some illegal screens before this play and the L was looking and ready to bust the next illegal screen. I say that because the Lead came out so hard you would have thought the defender got knocked to the floor or something egregious had occurred...

[bainsey]

To me, it looks like the L was a bit straighlined at the point of contact. Any chance he thought there was more contact than in actuality?

[Camron Rust]

There was only that small amount of contact because the defender was trying to get around the screen rather than run into it. The fact that there was still contact and the defender had, as a result of the movement, been rerouted to a much less preferable line is all I need to call that foul. Had the screener been stationary, the defender would have not had to go so far around.

Requiring a defender to be knocked over or dramatically off course (on a screen that is part of the actual play) to get an illegal screen call is just not fair to the defense.

[tref]

Talk about setting the standard! Sorry partner but I cannot mirror that call...

Lets ask ourselves exactly how was the defender disadvantaged?
The player he was attempting to get to made the extra pass to the corner. IMO the defender wasnt getting there had it been no screen at all.

Even if I've had conversation with the player/coach about him moving on the screen, this is not the one I'm making an example of.

[grunewar]

Whether those on the bench saw anything or not, certainly no arguing from them!

[Camron Rust]

Good call, contact redirected the defender farther around the screen than would have happened without the movement.

[JRutledge]

The only question I have, did the contact displace the defender or did the defender try to go around him and slight contact took place? And in this kind of screen this is one where I would like to see what was called with other screens. Sometimes screened players just try to go around the screen and not go through the screen. Again no one said anything, but I would have liked to have seen a little more contact to call this. Then again the angle was not very good so in my mind I can see how little contact could take place. It would just be a question I would ask the official if I was a clinician or evaluating the tape.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I would have liked to have seen a little more contact to call this.

The first time I viewed the video, I didn't even see the screen, either legal, or illegal (ball watching). The second time that I viewed it, I saw the screen and didn't think that there was any contact. The third time that I viewed the video, I did spot some slight illegal contact. With my view from this side of my new 18.5 inch computer monitor, I would have no problem if the official either called the illegal screen, or if he passed on the call. There definitely was contact, but was it incidental contact, or illegal contact? Maybe you had to be there?

[APG]

I'd have to have more contact on this play to have an illegal screen. The contact, IMO, is marginal at best.

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The only question I have, did the contact displace the defender or did the defender try to go around him and slight contact took place?

This was my thought on first look. It's a question of whether the screener caused contact or did the defender see the contact coming and try to avoid it. As far as I'm concerned it's the latter.

Originally Posted by Da Official

I'm thinking the screener was a repeat offender or there had been some illegal screens before this play and the L was looking and ready to bust the next illegal screen.

I think this definitely had something to do with it. The call comes in the second half of the game. There must have been something that happened on a screen either a few minutes prior or in the first half which helped this one along.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

This was my thought on first look. It's a question of whether the screener caused contact or did the defender see the contact coming and try to avoid it. As far as I'm concerned it's the latter.

Yet, the screener came out even farther and created contact to ensure the defender was impeded by the screen. The screener moved out on purpose to create contact and did so and delayed the defender even more than they would have been delayed by simply going around the original screen. That is a textbook illegal screen.

Some plays deserve a whistle even though the offended party is not knocked on their butt.