illegal forward handing

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally posted by JugglingReferee
Please tell me about the rule that talks about offside passes and/or handoffs.

NF Rules:

Backward handoffs and passes are always legal. Forward handoffs and passes beyond the NZ are illegal, resulting in a 5-yard penalty and loss of down.

There are other restrictions as well. The rule states that forward handoffs are legal if both players are in/behind the NZ and the handoff is to either: (a) a back or end (can't be the snapper or next to the snapper), or to (b) an interior lineman that is at least a yard behind the NZ and facing backward when he receives the handoff.

Forward passes are illegal when: (a) beyond the NZ, (b) after a change of possession, (c) when there are no eligible offensive receivers in the area, OR (d) when thrown solely to save a loss of yardage or time. NF rules do have an exception that allow a QB to immediately spike the ball if he was lined up under the center.