Slots going in motion...NHSF

[Ed Hickland]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Working a JV game last night with 3 officials I don't really know. I was the white hat.

Swinging gate try after TD. Right end on the line of scrimmage, alone and wide, before the snap, started shuffling to his left before the snap. It appeared he was on the line of scrimmage. Not my determination to make, obviously. No flag down. Nobody said anything.

But my understanding is that this was not legal motion provided he was on the line as he did not establish himself as a back for a full second before going into motion OR go five yards behind the line during his motion.

I asked the wing what he saw, but he's a new guy who said he never heard of such a thing.

Correct me if I'm missing something. I'm very good with the rules (I know, everyone thinks that of themselves), but this is not something you see every day.

If he lined up through the waistline of the snapper then started in motion that motion must be away from the line of scrimmage and he MUST be, at least, five yards in the backfield at the snap.

From my limited knowledge of NFL rules I believe the end can go in motion on the LOS and some coaches see this on TV and think NFS rules arethe same.

[ajmc]

Very little is actually new, more likely it's the same old, same old wapped in a slightly different package trying to look new. In the shift/motion/false start area, there's the tactic of a set back, clearly set who suddenly explodes forward out of his position for one step and pivots smoothly,either right or left, to continue in perfectly legal motion.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, and the first time I fell for that was a long time ago. Of course the objective is to draw the defense into the NZ, if that fails the set back simply continues in motion. If the defense bites, likely the wings will respond to the encroachment, which is why 4 officials should converge on the center and decide who is guilty of what before the final decision is made, and signal given.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Ed Hickland

From my limited knowledge of NFL rules I believe the end can go in motion on the LOS and some coaches see this on TV and think NFS rules arethe same.

No, that's Canadian rules. The reason some coaches get it wrong is not because of what they see on TV, but because of what they hear on radio or TV: "Tight end goes in motion." "They put their tight end in motion." The announcers are calling positions by what they or their spotter sees listed in the roster, rather than by actual position in the formation.

Robert