Is This Blocked Kick Legal?
 

Check out this video of a blocked extra point.

http://journals.aol.com/dcsportsguy/...-this-kid/3011

Any penalties?

Is it illegal to hurdle a lineman?
Is it illegal to launch yourself off the center's back?
Is it illegal to launch yourself off of ANY o-lineman's back?

Illegal 9.4.3D NFHS. No Hurdling. 15 yds personal foul. In this case 1/2 the distance and replay the down.

I only saw it once but I think it was legal. It looked like the guy went through the gap and used his arms to propel himself through.

athletic though
 

while very athletic it is very illegal in a lot of different areas...you might be able to get away with no hurdling by saying the centers hands were touching the ground...I wouldn't however take this route. If you do take that position, he does put his hand on a teammates shoulder and you could say he uses that to gain leverage, then he also "stands" on the center in the process of jumping him.....good try though LOL :D

Are his hands touching the ground ever? If he's snapping, his hands are on the ball, he then snaps the ball, and steps forward without his hands touching. That would seem to indicate hurdling.

I doubt it
 

CSHS I doubt that they touch, it was just a if you really want to try and make it legal (which I wouldn't ) you could conceivably "make" his hands touch the ground...

I went back and watched it a few more times. It might be hurdling but I would bet in a game I would not have called it - mainly I would have been so suprised by it, I wouldn't have thought of hurdling until later. I might warn the kid but unless I was 100% positive it was hurdling then no call.

REPLY: Let's put the judgment of whether or not this as hurdling aside and answer your questions:

Any penalties?

1. Is it illegal to hurdle a lineman? Yes...it's illegal to hurdle any opponent. Just make sure that you read NF 2-21 to fully understand what hurdling is.
2. Is it illegal to launch yourself off the center's back? Yes. It's a personal foul to position yourself on the shoulders or body of an opponent or teammate in order to gain an advantage.
3. Is it illegal to launch yourself off of ANY o-lineman's back? Same

I can go with the hurdling but I don't agree that vaulting on jumping while using my arms to push up against another player in order to get hight would be "positioning".

REPLY: You're probably right about that. I was thinking more of a case where a player ues an opponent or teammate as a platform from which to launch himself.

You only have to see the video once to see this was a hurdle and a foul in both NF and NCAA codes.

As that Wendy's lady used to say, "Where's the flag".

I'd love to see a down the line view that the wingman had of this.

My eyes must be going. I looked at it and thought he leaped over the center without touching him, which made it even more amazing to me.

I'm a tad confused. I've seen many times when i played where running backs would jump the pile on the goal line and no penalty was called. Yet, from reading 2-21, it would seem like this should be illegal.

Can you guys clarify?

Rule book inconsitent
 

Interestingly enough, the rule book is not consistent on the issue of hurdling. In 2-21 it says hurdling is an "attempt..." Which means he can make no contact with the opponent and it is still considered hurdling.

In 9-4-3d hurdling is a foul. Section 9-4 is titled "ILLEGAL PERSONAL CONTACT." If the player (hurdler) does not make contact, it is still a foul, even though the foul is listed under the "ILLEGAL PERSONAL CONTACT" section.

In 2-21 it is interesting to see that a player who is lying on the ground could be jumped and it is not considered hurdling because something other than his hand or foot is contacting the ground.

Thanks for bringing up this subject. This is interesting stuff.

Seems pretty obvious on the replay that its legal. Both of the snappers hands are on the ground, so by rule it is not hurdling.

"Hurdling is an attempt by a player to jump with one or both feet or knees foremost over an opponent who is contacting the ground with no part of his body except one or both feet" (2-21)

In the case of a goal line play, the players on the ground can be legally hurdled, but only if something other than their feet is touching the ground, otherwise, while not often called, its illegal.

I'm going to agree with New Guy on the hurdling thing. I went back and watched again. As soon as the center snaps the ball, he has a hand clearly planted in the ground, so I don't think we have hurdling.

This play is illegal, the player by definition hurdled the opponent, it's a foul.

Just asking, if the rule in fact states that it's hurdling only when no other body part other than feet are touching the ground (I'm assuming the previous posts are accurate, I don't have my books w/ me),

then how can it be hurdling when the C has his hand on the ground?

(Just FYI, you have to watch the video most of the way through, they show a close up instant replay that shows the C with his hands on the ground)

The center did have his hand on the ground, I didn't see that the first time I watched it, so I guess hurdling is not the call. However from the replay it is hard to tell if the player actually stepped on the centers back which would be a foul. I guess the umpire would have had the best view of it so he must have cleared the player. I'm not sure about the hand on his team mates shoulder to leverage himself up and over though.

even if it isn't hurdling
 

he definitely ends up landing on the center's back with his cleats, I would be tempted to say he also uses his teammates shoulder as leverage, allthough not much it is pretty athletic..It falls within the leaping rules in the NCAA he took more than one step leaped, contacted another player....it is just illegal all the way around...but still cool to see...

I agree with the NCAA leaping rule but Leaping in not defined in Fed rules, using a team mate is not legal for leveraging and standing on a team mate or opponent is a foul as well. It was very athletic, but I believe there should have been a foul on the play.

It seems to me that he might have stepped on the center's back during the jump- making it illegal.

I definitely agree that the stepping on the C's back is the most likely foul in this case.

this is not hurdling which is against an opponent. This is illegal personal contact
using an opponent or a team mate to gain an unfair advantage.
15 yards

Even if the snapper did have a hand on the ground momentarily, this is a safety foul and officials should err on the side of protecting the players. I would have no problem if hurdling were called on this. Just because the center has his hand on the ground is "ticky-tack" as far as I'm concerned. The hurdling rule was designed to for players to be able to jump over other players on that are on the ground during the course of a normal scrimmage.

High jumping the LOS is not what they had in mind and could potentially get a kid hurt...badly.

IMO....call this one every time.