Helmet Contact Enforcement

[Reffing Rev.]

NFHS: 3rd & 10 at the B40. A1 drops back to pass and retreats under a rush. B80 drives the crown of his helmet into A1's chest in a classic spear. A1 goes down at the 50. After enforcement 3rd & 5 at the B35.

Here are my study questions for consideration...

What would have been the result if A1 had fumbled?

What would have been the result if A1 had thrown a legal forward pass completed & downed at the B30 prior to contact?

As a WH what would you be looking for to consider this a "flagrant" foul and eject?

[Jim S]

If A fumbles this becomes a loose ball play. If A accepts enforcement from the previous spot. 15 yards to the B25 1 & 10.

If the receiver is downed before the contact you have a dead ball foul. March 15 from the subsequent spot. 1 & 10 from the B15. If the contact is before the receiver is downed, you probably have a roughing the passer call against B. 15 yards from the end of the play. 1 & 10 from the B15.
If you don't think it was roughing the passer then you still have a D foul and the enforcement spot is the basic spot, in this case the B 30, and you STILL have 1 & 10 @ the B15.

As far as "was it flagrant", was it flagrant? What I'm looking for is did the player intend to inflict punishment? Could he have stopped? Did he come all the way in with his head down or lower it at the last to make that contact?

[BktBallRef]

Glad you brought this up, Rev.

Friday night, the RB took a handoff and was almost immediately met by a DE with his head lowered and eyes looking at the ground. The top of his helmet made a direct hit to the side of the RB's helmet. I flagged the DE for IHC. If I had to guess, I would bet the defensive coach is somewhere, still b!tching about the call.

With all the POE's, news releases, clinics, and information being sent out, are officials still refusing to make this call?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

NFHS: 3rd & 10 at the B40. A1 drops back to pass and retreats under a rush. B80 drives the crown of his helmet into A1's chest in a classic spear. A1 goes down at the 50. After enforcement 3rd & 5 at the B35.

CANADIAN RULING:

15 yards + AFD from PLS. Team A 1D/10 @ B-25.

Here are my study questions for consideration...

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

What would have been the result if A1 had fumbled?

CANADIAN RULING:

15 yards + AFD from PLS. Team A 1D/10 @ B-25.

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

What would have been the result if A1 had thrown a legal forward pass completed & downed at the B30 prior to contact?

CANADIAN RULING:

15 yards + AFD from PBD. Team A 1D/10 @ B-15.

Originally Posted by Reffing Rev.

As a WH what would you be looking for to consider this a "flagrant" foul and eject?

A severe lack of regard for maintaining a legal hit.

[CT1]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Friday night, the RB took a handoff and was almost immediately met by a DE with his head lowered and eyes looking at the ground. The top of his helmet made a direct hit to the side of the RB's helmet. I flagged the DE for IHC.

Please send the clip to BJ.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Jim S

If you don't think it was roughing the passer then you still have a D foul and the enforcement spot is the basic spot, in this case the B 30, and you STILL have 1 & 10 @ the B15.

Right: if the pass is over before the illegal contact, this should not be RTP, but still could be a PF. If that's when the foul occurred, it would be during a running play, making the basic spot the end of the run.

[bigjohn]

Son of a gun, I got two IHCs called in my game friday night (had to remind them fist about the POEs and such).
Enforcement question. If there is holding on A beyond the LOS and it is a pass shouldn't the penalty be walked off from the previous spot and not the spot 5 or 10 yards down field. We had 2 or 3 called on our opponent but they gained yardage even after the penalty, once. They were forward passes.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

Son of a gun, I got two IHCs called in my game friday night (had to remind them fist about the POEs and such).
Enforcement question. If there is holding on A beyond the LOS and it is a pass shouldn't the penalty be walked off from the previous spot and not the spot 5 or 10 yards down field. We had 2 or 3 called on our opponent but they gained yardage even after the penalty, once. They were forward passes.

It depends when the holding occurs. If it occurs after the pass is caught, then the basic spot is the end of the run. So if the foul occurs behind the basic spot, it will be enforced from the spot of the foul; otherwise, from the end of the run.

[bigjohn]

If the holding occurred before the ball was caught, ball in flight, it would be OPI, if it happened before the ball was thrown but down field where do you walk it off?

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

If the holding occurred before the ball was caught, ball in flight, it would be OPI, if it happened before the ball was thrown but down field where do you walk it off?

Pass interference is a previous spot enforcement, but just from the facts you state (including downfield location), we don't know whether it was pass interference. We'd have to know where the pass ended and, if that didn't decide it, whether the contact impeded an opponent's effort to move toward the loose ball.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

Son of a gun, I got two IHCs called in my game friday night (had to remind them fist about the POEs and such).

You are an assistant coach right? I am sure an official is not listening to you. Just saying.

Peace

[bigjohn]

They called holding on a pass play after the catch and walked it off from the spot of the foul. The spot was downfield 5 yards. Should have been from the end of the run, right?

Think what you want , Rut.

[CT1]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

They called holding on a pass play after the catch and walked it off from the spot of the foul. The spot was downfield 5 yards.

Since the hold occurred after the catch, it was during a running play. The Basic Spot for a running play is the end of the run. Penalties against the offense will be marked from the Basic Spot, unless the foul was behind the Basic Spot, in which case it will be marked from the spot of the foul.

John -- the term "downfield 5 yards" doesn't have any meaning to officials.

[asdf]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

Son of a gun, I got two IHCs called in my game friday night (had to remind them fist about the POEs and such).

Knowing that you are an assistant on a team that has lost 15 straight games, I'm sure they respected your reminder.

[bigjohn]

They listen just like they did when we were 10-0

Ok, 5 yards beyond the NZ or original LOS.