false start rule

[Jim Black]

I was officiating a scrimmage last Friday. When team "A" offensive line was supposed to be set for the required one second, I noticed that all the OL except the center and TE were moving their fingers in and out like they were squeezing a lemon. The other hand was on the ground and the rest of their body was still. I called a false start, team "A" coach got quite upset. I explained the rule to him that both hands had to be set and not moving for one second. He did not accept my ruling and got quite irate. He said his OL have been doing the hand thing for years and that this was a method to psyche up the OL players. I saw the hand motion as a method to try to draw the DL offside. Need help on this and so does the team. If I were the DL, I would jump offside the first time I saw the hand moving and point it out to the game officials who whould call it the next time it happened. Am I right or is the team "A" coach right

[BktBallRef]

You're being overly officious. I see players doing this from time to time and I've never seen a defender encrpoach because of it. Yes, they are required to come to an absolute stop for one second but IMHO, it's nitpicky to make such a call. Personally, I would just have warned the coach that it is a technical infraction of the rules and be done with it.

BTW, if you're going to call this, it wouldn't be a false start. It would be an illegal shift if you're going to rule that all 11 players never came set.

[Mike Simonds]

Saturday night, early in the game, center is tapping his fingers on the ball, defense encroaches. I call snap infraction. Before next play I warn center not to move fingers on ball. He gives me a blank look. During the rest of the game I notice that his finger moving is the result of a nervous twitch; more than trying to draw the defense offside. Defense is not fooled for the rest of the game.

What does everyone think about this?

[nvfoa15]

Sounds to me like you really had an encroachment! But it was early in the game and I'm guessing that it didn't affect the outcome.

STUFF HAPPENS!

[Mike Simonds]

I don't consider myself an overly agressive official. In my own association some guys say "Let it go" and others "Flag him until he stops". My gut feeling is that I was a bit too quick with the flag. The poor kid was really fired up and I guess his finger tapping was mostly due to nerves rather than an intent to draw the defense offsides. Plus, the defense was not fooled the rest of the game. So next time I'll save my flag for a "real" false start/snap infraction. But I did talk to him about keeping his fingers still in case he comes across a more officious official!

[sportswriter]

Originally posted by Mike Simonds
I don't consider myself an overly agressive official. In my own association some guys say "Let it go" and others "Flag him until he stops".

Step one: was an advantage gained?

I ain't gonna flag a guy for wiggling his fingers while in a three-point stance. As long as the rest of him is stable, he's okay.

Stuff like that depends on the level. If it's a young age level, and there's an o-lineman who sets, then looks down, and then looks up somewhere in the cadence - he's technically moved, but I ain't gonna flag him for procedure.... unless the defence jumps.

That leniency ain't gonna fly at a higher level.

[dkluvdaddy]

Sounds like we are nit picking here. If the DL would jump you might have a case, but if they don't, why, as I said, nit pick a call. Just another case of a needless game interuption.