Penalty?

[ref49873]

what about when the defense either stomps their feet in a feint attempt to advance, or the blitzing LB who comes running up and stops at the line.

What would your opinoins be on these actions by the defense

[Bob M.]

Originally Posted by ref49873

what about when the defense either stomps their feet in a feint attempt to advance, or the blitzing LB who comes running up and stops at the line.

What would your opinoins be on these actions by the defense

REPLY: Let it go. The real no-no is when the defense makes verbal sounds ("hut-hut") that interfere with A's cadence.

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally Posted by Bob M.

REPLY: Let it go. The real no-no is when the defense makes verbal sounds ("hut-hut") that interfere with A's cadence.

Bingo. The exact phrasing of the rule (9-5-1d) is: "Using disconcerting acts or words prior to the snap in an attempt to interfere with A's signals or movements."

[wisref2]

This was asked by a fan, so the simple answer is no - it is not against the rules for the defense to deliberately make movements in an effort to the get the offense to move. There are extreme cases where it could be a foul, but in most cases this is not a foul.

And for us officials - There may be a penalty, but only if you decide that there is a foul.