Mike Carey

[Bob M.]

Originally Posted by HossHumard

...Once question for my 'murrican brothers about the "Too Many Men" (Illegal Sub.) though.

In Canadian Amateur in a similar situation where the player is high tailing it to his bench and he gets off close to (before) the snap, as long as he did not participate in the play, there's no call. At CFL I believe the situation gets covered by the penalty for having 13 guys (1 too many) in the huddle. Do you guys really nail teams if they're within a half second of a guy touching his sidelines? Is it the same with US Amateur as it is with the NFL? How on earth do you make that call if so?

Thx

REPLY: In Federation and NCAA ball the rules are just as strict as they are in the NFL--if the player running to the sideline doesn't get off before the snap, technically it's a foul for illegal substitution. However, in practical application, most officials handle it the same way you suggest: If the guy is close enough to the sideline to not make a difference, most officials will let it go ("no harm, no foul"). But in the NFL, since the number of players on the field at the snap is a reviewable situation, they have to call it strictly, the same way they would for a runner being inbounds or out-of-bounds on a tightrope down the sideline. They really have no choice in the NFL. It's got to be called by the book.