face mask

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Forksref

What's worse is that I had a facemask on the QB who straight-armed a rusher and grasped the facemask (this is before the 5 yd variety came into the rules). This occurred at least 10 yds behind the LOS. Add 15 to that. Ouch!

But that type of enforcement was routine also in NCAA & NFL until the early 1970s, regardless of whether a loose ball ensued. Illegal use of hands in pass protection frequently resulted in a net loss of 20+ yds. Of course part of that was the fact that it was a 15 yd. penalty and that legal use of the hands & arms was more confined, but the all-but-one enforcement made pass pro a lot riskier -- and they passed a lot more than high schools did.

Robert