Those "Special Plays"

[mikesears]

Worked two games last night. JV game followed by the Varsity game. In the JV game, coach informs me that he is going to run a couple of special plays. First, he puts in man in motion from a slot position. Kid moves forward but he won't be moving forward at the snap. He called it "jet" motion. Second, he runs a play where his center snaps the ball. Every fakes like it is an option play and then a back comes up and takes the ball from the center and runs the oposite way. I asked the coach, "Does your center immediately release the ball or does he hold it?" Answer, he holds it. I tell coach his play is illegal unless the center immediately releases the ball.


In the JV game, he runs the "jet motion" play as the first play, and is is obvious to everyone that the motion man is not staying parallel to the line at the snap. He is angling toward the line. Wing flags it and takes a great deal of heat over a great call.

He quits running the play in the JV game. Varsity game, they try the "snap" play (center held the ball for a good second) and I immediately shut it down for the snap infraction. He goes ballistic again! "I've run that play for seven weeks and I have NEVER had a flag thrown yet for it."

I think, "Well coach, if you ARE running these plays and they aren't getting flagged, you have some pretty poor officials around here."

He tells my wing on his side that he ran that play in the Illinois State High School All Star game officiated by a Big Ten crew and they allowed the play. LOL!

Has it EVER been legal (or not ILLEGAL) for the center to not immediately release the ball?

[Theisey]

Well, if it ever was, it would have been before my time.

It's not legal at the NCAA level either.

[MJT]

They try to pass that "we have run that every week" crap every week and probably get called on it 1/2 the time. We had a team in a JV game tell us that they can legally have 67 go downfield and catch a pass. They called the state on it and it was ok. Ya, right coach!