Little Help on something, please?

[ClearAsMud]

Hi, I had a question that I hope you can help me with. The presiding rulebook for this question would be the NFL rulebook. Hopefully, someone has access to that!

Here's the deal. Again, under NFL rules, Team A's coaches have told the o-line that it is legal to perform a cut block, say on short pass plays. Let me define how the coaches use the term 'cut block.'

They define a cut block as the linemen firing off the line low when the ball is snapped, diving towards the legs (thigh or knee level, typically)...in order to get the defense to drop their hands, and probably back up a little. Several weeks into the season, a crew of referees called this technique illegal, although they were apparently vague about what was illegal about it. Team A's coaches told players at that time to hit at the waist first, then slide down the legs if needed. This was later called a penalty also.

The other time team A's players are told to use this particular blocking technique would be on pulling lineman plays...for instance, when a tackle pulls to block a defensive end who has crashed across the LOS. The block would then occur in the backfield. This has not been flagged, to my knowledge.

So, what I'm asking, I guess, is clarification on what exactly would make an illegal block below the waist? Is team A wrong in this technique, or has complaining by various team B's caused some perhaps hazy calls?

I should also clarify; this is not an NFL team, just a league playing NFL rules. I thought I've seen this sort of technique used in NFL games, maybe I was just imagining things?

Incidentally, as a longtime fan of football, I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you who do officiate. I know that fans, coaches, players, etc. do not make your job an easy one, but you still go out game after game and make your best effort to be fair (in nearly all cases, I'm sure)...and you probably don't get anywhere near the thanks that you deserve for what you do to keep players as safe as possible. (No, that wasn't a brown nosing to get you to make me sound right, either!!!)

Thanks in advance for your replies.