We had a discussion last night about which members of A can shift. I was unable to find any directive stating which members can/cannot shift. The only stipulation seemed to be that any shifting must be followed by one second of no movement prior to a snap or motion.

The reason I'm asking this is because some veteran members were saying that once a player is in a three-point stance he can't shift. They also were saying that interior linemen couldn't shift. I know that the general assumption is that once a lineman puts his hand on the ground he can't lift it up, but I can't find anywhere in the rule book that states that.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Only backs and ends can shift after they put a hand on the ground.

[Edited by Snake~eyes on Sep 21st, 2004 at 12:14 PM]

an Interior Lineman can shift, till he was not set(hand below the knee). When the team was set, only the backs are allowed to shift.

And ANYONE on the end of the line, could be a "tackle" or "guard"

I know what is the accepted rulings as far as shifting goes. I am asking for the Black & White rule with reference. In my opinion if it is not in the rule book, it is not a rule. I'm sure we can go into the "attempts to deceive" section, or even the false start section for interior linemen (even though it is not explicitly stated), but for ends, backs, and receivers it gets a bit more hairy.

Anybody can shift. Look under rule 2 for definition of a shift. Going from a standing position to a 3-point stance is a shift.

Anyone can shift. The classic example is the breaking of the huddle. That is everyone on the team shifting and they must be set for 1 second before a snap. A great number of teams have the center leave the huddle before the other team members. If the center were set over the ball and the huddle broke and while approaching the LOS the center snaps the ball you have an illegal shift.

Edited my post to what I meant to say.

The only person who can not shift is the center after he makes his final adjustment of the ball. But there is an order to it. If the 5 linemen have their hand on or near the ground, they can not shift without committing a false start. If the end shifts, now the tackle (3 point stance) is on the end of the line. He may then legally shift leaving the guard on the end of the line ...

Cite to the rules
 

Rule 7-1-7c controls the actions of A linemen who are not on the end of the line. An "interior" lineman who places his hand(s) on or near the ground, may not lift his hand nor shift. The only restrictions on ends and backs is the false start limitation of "how" they shift.

Re: Cite to the rules and a suggestion
 

Thank you Bill D for answering the question.

For the rest of you, here is a suggestion for you -
the poster of this thread asked for a specific citation on this rule. Give it to him. 7 people replied before a specific rule was cited.

Why do this? It will make you better and keep you from becoming one of those old guys who knows that he knows all the rules and hasn't cracked a rule book in years.