Freedom of Movement 10-6-12

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Why 5? Why not 3 or 7? What is the cutoff? Remember they want consistency without the need for judgement. How far apart does it take for it to not be a foul?

And I do think that, practically and logically, it should actually be like that, but where do we draw the line such that it is consistently applied?

My problem with the literal interpretation of the rule being advocated by some here is that it completely takes common sense out of the equation; like the common sense that tells not to call 3 seconds if somebody heels is on the lane line.

Plus you have things like I stated earlier with delay statics that occur where I officiate. You also have what JRut just brought up, where the first touch occurs in one official's primary, then a subsequent touch occurs in another's primary. That is going to occur quite often on plays where there is defensive pressure in the back court and the C picks up the play in the frontcourt.

The NFHS have proven enough times in the past that they do not always do a great job of having what's in ink match what is intended in reality.