Over Turning Officials calls

[Middleman]

Originally posted by Snake~eyes
Is it really new for 2003?

Anyways this is a common misconception by coaches.

Pardon me, my FED is showing!

Yep, the rule is new for FED this year. Until this year, Clipping was "charging or falling into the back ... of an opponent" and specifically included "Pushing by use of hands or arms on an opponent's back." This year they split them "to more clearly differentiate between the two actions." Of course the NFL and NCAA have had IBB for awhile.

Fact is, many of us have been calling it this way for years (mostly because the big boys do). Instead of clipping, which we called when a player charged into an opponents back usually knocking him down, we would call illegal use of the hands for blocking outside the opponent's frame (2-3-2b & 9-2-1a).

The effect was the same - 15 yards for a clip, 10 yards for a block in the back. The NFHS has been "experimenting" with it in several states, and finally codified it in 2003.