In a game last Saturday night their was a flag thrown for an Ineligible Receiver Down Field.

The offense had a first and goal on the 5.

With only 5 yards for a TD there is not much down field.

Can anyone explain how that would work?

1. The obvious would be a lineman who has gone beyond the expanded neutral zone; ie into say the endzone.

2. If the offense is running a screen pass the lineman have gone down field but the pass was caught past the neutral zone or the incomplete screen pass went past the neutral zone.

3. Maybe a WR covered up a receiver on the end of the line by mistake.

Just a couple of quick ones I can thnk of.

Ineligible receivers may not cross the line of scrimmage before the ball is released on a forward pass. If they are anywhere between the five and the end line, they are illegaly downfield (except for a lineman who is blocking within the 2 yard expanded neutral zone).

Not sure what the original LOS has to do with anything. You can have illegal man downfield when you're on the inch-line. Like Smiley said - across the neutral zone is downfield. And being across the NZ is illegal for ineligible receivers (with the one exception mentioned).