The coach confessed!

[TussAgee11]

Just lurking over here in the shadows:

I've seen Duke do something similar for two years now. Everyone gets set, and on QB signal, the TE comes out of 3 pt stance to a complete stand, all WRs break their stance, RBs stand, and QB comes out from center to look at sidelines for signals. I mean it is all at the same exact time, the first time I saw them do it last year it totally surprised me. I've seen a few other college teams do similar things.

Last year Duke did it about 80% of the time, this year, not as much, but they still do it from time to time. I haven't seen it flagged once.

Of course we are talking NCAA here, I'm not sure if FED is different.

And yes, Duke has a football team - one that is 3-3

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

And yes, Duke has a football team - one that is 3-3

They should stop playing today. Give 'em their best winning pct. in decades...

[bigjohn]

ART. 7 . . . After the ball is marked ready for play and before the snap begins,
no false start shall be made by any A player. It is a false start if:
a. A shift or feigned charge simulates action at the snap.
b. Any act is clearly intended to cause B to encroach.
c. Any A player on his line between the snapper and the player on the end of
his line, after having placed a hand(s) on or near the ground, moves his
hand(s) or makes any quick movement.

I had an officl tell me this year that he was his associations Interpreter and he had never head of the snap down punt being illegal.

Check out page 89 of the 2008 rules book, It is a POE!


The major problem in dealing with false starts is the inconsistency in administration.
Whether or not a false start has occurred, or not, is not predicated upon whether the
defender encroaches or not, or by the down and/or distance. The false start act has to be
judged on its own. The offensive team is obligated to move, shift, or go in motion in such
a manner that does not simulate action at the snap. Whenever the false start causes a
defender to encroach, only the false start is penalized.
After the ready-for-play signal has sounded and all offensive players have assumed their
final set position for the snap, no player shall make a quick and/or jerky movement before
the snap. The purpose for restricting such movement is to discourage action designed to
cause defenders to encroach.
If the offensive team executes a shift in such a manner that simulates action at the snap,
the foul is a false start and not an illegal shift. The manner in which offensive players execute
shifts or go in motion can be fouls for a false start, but never for illegal shifts.
When linemen or backs initially set in an upright position or hands-on-knees position and
then drop into a three- or four-point stance for their final position, the action results in a
false start if it is done in a manner that simulates action at the snap. Such action must be
slow and deliberate.

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

I've seen Duke do something similar for two years now. Everyone gets set, and on QB signal, the TE comes out of 3 pt stance to a complete stand, all WRs break their stance, RBs stand, and QB comes out from center to look at sidelines for signals. I mean it is all at the same exact time, the first time I saw them do it last year it totally surprised me. I've seen a few other college teams do similar things.

Last year Duke did it about 80% of the time, this year, not as much, but they still do it from time to time. I haven't seen it flagged once.

This is becoming very common with teams who use more of a Air Raid-type West Coast offense. The officials won't flag this action as a false start or illegal shift because all they're doing is coming out of their stance (which these positions can because they're not covered) to receive a signal from the sideline. We had this in a FED game, and we didn't flag it either, because nothing they did fit any of the definitions of false start or illegal shift.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

I've seen Duke do something similar for two years now. Everyone gets set, and on QB signal, the TE comes out of 3 pt stance to a complete stand, all WRs break their stance, RBs stand, and QB comes out from center to look at sidelines for signals.

While watching some local high school games, I've noticed that several high schools do that too. It looks stupid IMO but it is not illegal if done smoothly.

I should also note that one team that did this was flagged three times in the first half for delay of game because they would do it even when coming to the line with less than 10 seconds on the play clock.

Where I'm originally from, there are a few teams that run the Wing-T formation and on almost every play, they have a back go in motion just before the snap. The times I've worked, we flagged the backs a couple of times for false start because his motion was too abrupt.