No Longer a Potential Blocker

[bigjohn]

I understand completely! We have a kid trying to release into a pattern, and the defense has walked a OLB over to knock him on his butt instead of let him get off. It is not called in our games. I am sure you do an excellent job of making sure no one gets an unfair advantage in this situation, Mr. Rutledge but where I am, it is considered just good ol' hard nosed football and if the WR can't get off the line it is just too bad and he needs to get in the weight room more.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

I understand completely! We have a kid trying to release into a pattern, and the defense has walked a OLB over to knock him on his butt instead of let him get off. It is not called in our games. I am sure you do an excellent job of making sure no one gets an unfair advantage in this situation, Mr. Rutledge but where I am, it is considered just good ol' hard nosed football and if the WR can't get off the line it is just too bad and he needs to get in the weight room more.

Officials see more teams and games than you do as a coach. I have no idea what is called or why something is not called in your games. I know it gets called at times in games I am working and I am not the person that makes the calls in many cases either. And if not called when we can "talk to" players we try to do that on borderline situations. I know that it is called in other games I am not working as officials talk about situations that happen in their games. Now I cannot give you a percentage, but it gets called and when we see a coach at a game they often try to get us to talk about something that happens previously. Or they try to talk about something they saw on tape. All I am saying to you is there is nothing that suggest that this is inherently illegal or is interpreted that way. You cannot take one line out of the casebook and rulebook and then make a leap that some coverage is outlawed because it does not fit your sensibilities. That is not how rules are applied or interpreted by the NF committee or state organizations. If these groups felt the rule should be applied in all those situations, they would make that information public and clear. There is a reason you have never heard such interpretation anywhere.

Peace

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Also keep in mind that there are circumstances under which a player may not use hands or arms to contact an opponent, but still is allowed to body block. If it just says you can't use hands, that shouldn't be magically construed to prohibit all contact.

The rule is about contact, not just hands. Let us not split hairs that fine to justify the rules application.

Peace

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The rule is about contact, not just hands. Let us not split hairs that fine to justify the rules application.

Then why was the quoted material so specific invoking use of the hands, rather than contact?

I deleted my post when I saw I'd written about the same 3 yrs. earlier, but now by quoting & replying I guess you've put the issue in play again.

[bigjohn]

HUH????

NFHS Case Book
BLOCKING – USE OF HANDS
9.2.3 SITUATION A

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Then why was the quoted material so specific invoking use of the hands, rather than contact?

I deleted my post when I saw I'd written about the same 3 yrs. earlier, but now by quoting & replying I guess you've put the issue in play again.

So you are saying that a receiver is running a drag route across the middle and a LB can come and jump block into the receiver with his shoulder and knock them down and all is OK because they did not use their hands but used their shoulder?

Man, where are you guys getting these interpretations from?

Peace

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

So you are saying that a receiver is running a drag route across the middle and a LB can come and jump block into the receiver with his shoulder and knock them down and all is OK because they did not use their hands but used their shoulder?

Man, where are you guys getting these interpretations from? :rolleyes

Where's the rule saying they can't?

This rule was traditionally understood as a limitation on use of the hands & arms, not a limitation on body blocking. This goes back to a time when the defense was allowed much more use of the hands than the offense, but that use of the hands was limited to warding off body blocks. The rules makers wanted to make clear that the privilege allowing use of the hands did not extend to cases where there was no block being warded off.

Where was the language inserted to make this apply to blocking or contact per se rather than use of the hands? If Fed didn't want the rule still to be understood as a limitation on use of the hands and arms alone, why is it still in 9-2, rather than part of 9-3? They've got this whole section right there concerning when you can't block, but no, this is in the section about when or how you can't use hands or arms.

[JRutledge]

Robert,

I think you need to look at your definitions and then get back to me one what the rules allow in this situation.

Peace

[bigjohn]

ART. 3 . . . A defensive player shall not:

d. Contact an eligible receiver who is no longer a potential blocker.

I mean it says contact.

[bigjohn]

can't be opi until the ball is in the air can it?

Don't you have a case book JR?


Seriously?---you make THAT staement about OPI; and then ask JR if HE has a case book.

The rule book is pretty clear on OPI---how in the world do you get your interp?

My point was that it is not OPI unless there is a pass and it goes past the LOS.

ART. 7 . . . Pass interference restrictions only apply beyond the neutral zone
and only if the legal forward pass, untouched by B in or behind the neutral zone,
crosses the neutral zone. Pass interference restrictions are in effect for all A and
B players until the ball is touched or the pass is incomplete.

[Welpe]

Why do you still bother, Rut?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Why do you still bother, Rut?

Don't worry, I was kind of done already. Stupid and completely stupid at that.

Peace