When officially is the ball ready for play?

[jontheref]

I've been through this play where the team was set awaiting us with one second left. There is nothing by rule that stipulates the team must be set after the whistle....only that they all be set prior to the snap. In our play, they got off the play with one second, through a fade to the end zone--saw a flag for dpi....where they got another play...and a score for a tie game. No controversey there, eh? But, yes, the play was a legal play.

[refbuz]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Same problem as your OP.

Wait for your whistle to what? Start sounding? Finish sounding? Sound for at least 1 second?

I'll tell the center anytime that I am over the ball to not snap it until they hear a whistle. We are clean as long as he doesn't snap it BEFORE he blows the RFP. I don't care how long the R wants to stand there and blow it in. I DO care if they snap it before he does.

Originally Posted by jontheref

I've been through this play where the team was set awaiting us with one second left. There is nothing by rule that stipulates the team must be set after the whistle....only that they all be set prior to the snap. In our play, they got off the play with one second, through a fade to the end zone--saw a flag for dpi....where they got another play...and a score for a tie game. No controversey there, eh? But, yes, the play was a legal play.

I don't see any reason to think that this play was illegal, but that doesn't mean that 1 coach isn't gonna like the ruling.

A friend of mine (seriously not me) had a similar situation where there were 2 or 3 seconds left in the game after a 15-20 yd completion resulted in a 1st down. They hustle up to the LOS, get set while the officials are setting up the sticks and snap the ball at the whistle. and spike it to kill the clock.

[waltjp]

Had this happen during a game a few weeks ago.

Team B has taken a time out. A is lined up and ready to go as we're clearing B's coaches from the field. Our U is over the ball instructing A's QB to wait for the whistle. I give the U a nod so he can back out and as he does the QB starts calling signals.

A80, lined up as a slot receiver, starts in motion just as I blow the RFP. A80 hears the whistle and looks to me as he almost comes to a complete stop. The ball is snapped and the QB turns to hand off to A80 but the timing is thrown off because of A80's hesitation. The handoff is muffed and B recovers the ball.

A's coach is upset, claiming that the whistle caused his player to stop and the result was a fumble. I understand his complaint and don't want this to escalate so I move a little closer so I can explain without shouting across the field. I simply told the coach that our U was standing over the ball instructing the QB to wait for the whistle and the QB took it upon himself to start calling his signals before the whistle had blown. The coach appreciated the explanation and thanked me. As I was moving back to the other side of the field I could hear him explaining the problem to his QB as only a head coach who's team just lost the ball could do.

[bcl1127]

Originally Posted by cos_man99

We met in the middle of the field and discussed it for a brief time then decided to assess a delay of game for snapping before the ball was marked ready for play. We backed them up 5 yds and started the clock on the next snap. How do you think we did?

Looks to me like the offense got what they wanted in the clock stoppage, just lost 5 yards in the process.

I think that the ball is ready for play at the fist chirp of the whistle, I mean if it was a full whistle blow, you could blow it for 10 seconds and make everyone wait?

[refbuz]

Originally Posted by waltjp

As I was moving back to the other side of the field I could hear him explaining the problem to his QB as only a head coach who's team just lost the ball could do.

Tore his QB a new one huh???

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by cos_man99

I accidentally left my rulebooks in the crew cheif's van Friday night so I can't cite the rule reference, but I know there is a special exception for delay of game penalties that the clock is never started on the RFP after a delay of game. It is always started on the next snap.

You should have started on the RFP as that is when it would have started if the offense had not fouled. At the end of the half you can't let a team foul to manipulate the clock. Same thing as A committing a false start with 1 second left on the play clock. They fouled and shouldn't gain an advantage from it so start the clock on the snap.