Legal or not?

[MJT]

Here is one to ponder.
Tight end on the left side of the LOS is in a 3 pt stance and the tackle (A77) next to him is in a 2 pt stance. After the center has put his hand(s) on the ball and while the QB is calling out signals, the tackle, A77 slowly steps back and goes to the right side of the LOS to create an unbalanced line and sets up in a 3 pt stance outside the right tackle. Legal, or not?

[boboman316]

I would say legal, as long as both A77 and the QB are set for a second before the snap.

[Robert Goodman]

Not only legal, but common practice. You might have a judgement to make about "simulated" 3 point stance in cases where the TE set and the T started to make a move in sync with the TE to get down to 3 pt. I would look at it lineman by lineman, in isolation, judging only whether each individual's move got him into a 3 pt., not whether it looked as if he was going to get into it.

More interesting is whether after the T's shift, the TE, who is as close to the ball as before but now farther from the nearest teammate on the line, is allowed to shift out of 3 pt. I don't know the current provisions on false starts in all the codes regarding ends.

Robert

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by MJT

Here is one to ponder.
Tight end on the left side of the LOS is in a 3 pt stance and the tackle (A77) next to him is in a 2 pt stance. After the center has put his hand(s) on the ball and while the QB is calling out signals, the tackle, A77 slowly steps back and goes to the right side of the LOS to create an unbalanced line and sets up in a 3 pt stance outside the right tackle. Legal, or not?

CANADIAN RULING:

Legal. A77 must reset for 1 second prior to the snap.

Let's assume that the LTE is eligible by number. A77 is eligible by number, but initially assumes an ineligible position. If A77 resets outside the RT, and on the line, he is therefore 1 of the 7 required to be on the line. (There is nothing that says that A77 can't assume an ineligible position [unexpected] before assuming an eligible [expected] position.) Since he's eligible by number, there is no need to report if he's the outermost player on the line. If he's not the outermost player, he would have had to report to the officials.

[wisref2]

Robert - if the TE is still on the end of the line (and not covered), he can still shift into another stance or even move to a new position (assuming all are set before the snap). If he is covered, he's an interior lineman and can't shift.

[Texas Aggie]

NM. Read the play wrong.

[MJT]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

NCAA: Illegal. Once his hand is on the ground, moving it is a false start. 7-1-4-c.

You are not referring to the original play, are you?