x over

[Murd]

tight end covered by the X makes him ineligible, can the TE take a handoff ?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Murd

tight end covered by the X makes him ineligible, can the TE take a handoff ?

Anyone can take a handoff or backward pass. Being eligible is about receiving a forward pass, not taking a handoff.

Peace

[waltjp]

I see no mention of X in my rule book.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Anyone can take a handoff or backward pass. Being eligible is about receiving a forward pass, not taking a handoff.

Unless it's in that specialized set of circumstances designed to keep the ball from being handed forward to a lineman during close line play. The different codes have different restrictions about that.

Robert

[Murd]

so a covered TE can get the ball on a end around?

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Murd

so a covered TE can get the ball on a end around?

Covered, uncovered, doesn't matter. If a lineman has clearly come off the line and/or goes behind the player handing the ball, it's legal.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Murd

so a covered TE can get the ball on a end around?

Anyone can take a handoff. Depending on location of a player there are some requirements to do so, but anyone can take a handoff in the backfield.

The problem is you are using very generic terms and not rulebook language. There are some here (including myself) are not sure what you really want to know. You seem new to this board and most here are officials. We do not use the term "X receiver."

Peace

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The problem is you are using very generic terms and not rulebook language. There are some here (including myself) are not sure what you really want to know. You seem new to this board and most here are officials. We do not use the term "X receiver."

Yeah, but it doesn't matter in this case whether the person knows the official terms or not. We understood "covered" to mean "took a position on the line closer to the sideline than", and "X" to mean "some teammate", which is all that mattered. (Actually, not even those details mattered!) It may be a problem in some cases, but don't make it a problem when it's not. And when it is a problem, some additional dialog can usually clear it up.

The coaches have it worse than the officials in that there's no universal meaning to much of their jargon. "X" has a different meaning to most coaches now from what it did 40 years ago, and it was never universal anyway. The letters in the back of the alphabet used to mean "primary receiver", "secondary receiver", etc. in order of passer's reads; lately it's become common to label the ends "X" & "Y", but when one coach talks to another various "gotchas" come up that vitiate that understanding.

Robert

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by Murd

tight end covered by the X makes him ineligible, can the TE take a handoff ?

Yes, he can. But he must meet the requirements that any other interior lineman would have to meet.

[Gmoore]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Yes, he can. But he must meet the requirements that any other interior lineman would have to meet.

BBR- are you saying he must turn and face his goal line?

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Gmoore

BBR- are you saying he must turn and face his goal line?

Depends which rules code is in use. Fed & NCAA are similar but not identical on this point, NFL's is different, and CFL & Football Canada are even more different, CFL being vaguer. In Fed & NCAA turning 180 deg would be sufficient (provided it's a foot, not just shoulder or hip, turn) but not required.

Robert

[Warrenkicker]

7-3-2 covers the requirements of this tight end as to a forward hand-off to him. If he is covered then you use section a and if he is uncovered then section b. All backward hand-offs to him are legal.