The Official Forum - Your state office and the A-11 offense???

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- - Your state office and the A-11 offense??? (https://forum.officiating.com/football/47257-your-state-office-11-offense.html)

Arizona's position is that it's legal, but they want us to "make them be perfect."

They also want us to alert them if we see a school doing it so they can collect information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by i011763

4. Note “how the offense breaks the huddle (if, indeed, they even had one).
In order to allow some sort of “shifting” a legal way around the wording in 7-5-2b (exception) must be met. In their offensive scheme, when the team breaks the huddle only the snapper and possible 2 linemen next to the snapper might take an initial position on the L.O.S.

7-2-5 (b) ECEPTION: "A player in the game under this exception (the numbering exception) must assume an initial position on his line of scrimmage between the ends and he remains an ineligible forward-pass receiver during that down unless the pass is touched by B."

Would that preclude that? Wouldn't at least five A players have to "assume an initial position" on their line of scrimmage, between the ends and wouldn't they then remain ineligible for the down (unless B touches the pass)?

Quote:

Legally, they can and do continue to move forward and backward while remaining Off the L.O.S., but never committing to being on the L.O.S.

At our local meeting last night, they said that at least five guys have to take an initial LOS position.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverAndBack

Great, legitimate points. Sounds like the proper interpretation and the needed rules support that would make the A-11 illegal.

The 7.5.2 Exception was intended to allow players with eligible numbers to assume positions normally limited to ineligible numbered positions. It's reasonable to understand the language of the rule to suggest that these players, wearing numbers that don't match with their positions (lineman numbered 50-79) need to establish their role so as not to be confused with properly numbered interior lineman.

The Exception further requires that once these players assume those interior lineman positions, they are prohibited for becoming eleigible as a result of any shifting or changing formations. I'm sure some could (and likely would) argue what, "assume an initial position on his line of scrimmage between the ends" actually means, but it is certainly reasonable to interpret this as meaning, just what it says, that those players in the game by virtue of the 7.5.2 Exception must declare themselves as interior lineman by assuming an initial position on the line of scrimmage, between the ends.

If they have failed to do so, they are not complying with the basic requirements of the 7.5.2 exception rendering the formation illegal.

It seems this whole offensive strategy rides the line between legal and illegal, in any number of ways, and requires a level of precision execution that many teams will have great diffculty in complying with.