Passes while in punt formation question--

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Mike L

Personally, I take the term "initial position" to mean just that, the initial position assumed prior to shifts/motions.

How far would you take that? Suppose they lined up:

..............50.........51.........52...........5 3...........80.............54
........46........47.....................48....... ......................49

and #10 ten yards behind the snapper. And then they shifted into:

......46.....50..........51.........52.....48..... 53..........80
.....................47........................... ........................49.....54

with #10 still ten yards behind the snapper. The way they first lined up was an illegal formation just for not having 7 on the line, although they did have five numbered 50-79. Does 80 become eligible after the shift, or does the way they lined up first "not count" as "initial position" because they couldn't've legally snapped the ball from it?

Robert