Crap Tactic: What Would You Do?

[OverAndBack]

The video:

YouTube - Taysom gets rocked

The story:

High School Football Coach Suspended After His Players Cheap Shot Opposing Kicker - FanHouse Back Porch

NBC Newschannel 6 Where News Comes First - Pocatello Head Coach Reinstated To Coaching Duties

The on-field officials did not penalize Pocatello on the play.

As I look at the video, I see a clear and easy flag:

Rule 9-3-4: "The kicker or place-kick holder of a free kick may not be blocked before:
a. he has advanced 5 yards beyond his free-kick line; or
b. The kick has touched the ground or any other player."

15 yard penalty.

Looks to me like he gets cleaned at the 43 1/2. Am I seeing that correctly?

[Welpe]

Flag for illegal block. It also looks flagarant to me and would probably DQ.

[JRutledge]

Not only have I called this, I look for this all the time as a BJ. I am not sure about the flagrant part; I would have to see the block up close. But no doubt this should be a personal foul. An illegal block is not as harsh.

Peace

[OverAndBack]

In a five-man situation, Rut, you've got the kicker as he goes downfield, right? That's how it was put to me in a preseason scrimmage. (We don't have back judges below varsity level here, so I haven't worked it since, but I remember that.)

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by OverAndBack

In a five-man situation, Rut, you've got the kicker as he goes downfield, right? That's how it was put to me in a preseason scrimmage. (We don't have back judges below varsity level here, so I haven't worked it since, but I remember that.)

You have the kicker until he goes down field 5 yards or if he gets his balance or can affectively participate in the play.

Usually the receiving team drops off and this is not an issue. I would think based on what I have seen previously, that I would have noticed the player with a "brick" and got this foul. At least I hope I would.

Peace

[Bresquire]

It appears that the kicker had just gotten set after the kick, and then got lit up by the defender who did not stop at all from the initial run. I would definately flag it and toss him. That kind of cheap shot could paralyze somebody or worse.

Bresquire

[hawk65]

Where is the line judge on this call? Our mechanics have the line judge on R's restraining line on a kickoff. It appears that R was clearly encroaching before the ball was kicked and the LJ should have thrown his flag, blown his whistle and killed the play before R got a chance to block/attack the kicker. Encroachment on R, 5 yard penalty.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by OverAndBack

The video:

YouTube - Taysom gets rocked

CANADIAN RULING:

Flag for R offside and R unnecessary roughness. The UR could be RP.

K option to re-kick 20 (30=RP) yards up, or give the R the ball, 15 (25=RP) yards back.

[OverAndBack]

It's a dickhead hit. But I don't know that it's flagrant. It's illegal because of where it occurs on the field and probably shouldn't have occurred because of the possible encroachment.

It's a hard hit on a player who probably wasn't 100% ready for it (that's why that rule exists - because the kicker is in a vulnerable position).

But flagrant? I don't know. If it's in the head area or leading with the helmet or below the waist or something like that, then it's one thing. But the force of the hit itself doesn't make it flagrant.

Football is an aggressive sport. Players hit hard. Just hitting someone real hard doesn't always make it flagrant.