Legal Snap?

[Jmuvol]

We did see this last year and it still irritates me that this is shown all over the place as a great and wonderful display of coaching. We make ourselves look bad when we let these types of plays go.

With that said, I still wonder how mr. smart coach would feel if he ran this play and a defensive player came running up and laid out his qb? My guess is he would want us to bail him out and call a foul on the defense...

[bigjohn]

Do not agree that it is quick! or immediately leaves the snapper's hand. It is very slow and deliberate, in my opinion.

[Welpe]

In a pre-game conference with a middle school coach this year, he said he had a trick play where the QB goes in motion.

I said "OK, is that it?"

He said, "Well, I'll yell over to him something along 'Come on, that's not the play!' then he'll go in motion and we'll snap it."

Me: "Sorry coach, not legal."

Him: "I guess we won't run that this week."

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by Welpe

In a pre-game conference with a middle school coach this year, he said he had a trick play where the QB goes in motion.

I said "OK, is that it?"

He said, "Well, I'll yell over to him something along 'Come on, that's not the play!' then he'll go in motion and we'll snap it."

Me: "Sorry coach, not legal."

Him: "I guess we won't run that this week."

Had a coach run this play in an 8th grade game this season... only he didn't tell us about it beforehand. Luckily for me, when I flagged it, enforced it, and explained it to him, all he said was "huh, I didn't know that".

He also ran a fumblerooski play a couple of times. One that I didn't call because I didn't see what happened (only two officials, not enough eyes) and couldn't tell what had transpired until I was reconstructing it in my mind during the next timeout, and one that I passed on because that team was down 42-0 at the time. I did, however, explain to the coach that his play wasn't legal.

[InsideTheStripe]

Originally Posted by Jmuvol

With that said, I still wonder how mr. smart coach would feel if he ran this play and a defensive player came running up and laid out his qb?

Like this??? http://youtu.be/kQbAP-K28J8

[jchamp]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Which part do you believe it doesn't meet the requirements of?

In the first video of this thread, my opinion is illegal snap.
The snap is not quick. It is a very slow motion of the right arm.
It is not backwards. There is a discrete lateral motion of the ball as it comes up prior to it going over the snapper's left shoulder. It is very likely that in order for this motion to be possible, the ball would have had to be traveling forward at some point.
It does not immediately leave the snapper's hand. There is a visible pause between when the motion of the snapper's hand ends and the quarterback begins to touch the ball.

The video immediately above, which shows the play "gone bad" actually would fit my definition of a legal snap. While not not "hasty" it was not a slow or discontinuous motion. It was also backwards, and the snapper immediately released the ball to the quarterback.
Then the quarterback got popped. As well he should be, trying to make a travesty of the game.

[APG]

Legal snap...simply disagree with jchamp's and bigjohn's judgement of the snap.

[jchamp]

Originally Posted by AllPurposeGamer

Legal snap...simply disagree with jchamp's and bigjohn's judgement of the snap.

Fair enough. As long as the rules book includes language that leaves room for judgment, such as "quick" and "immediately", there will always be that potential.
Some day, the human element will be completely removed from the game and our job can be performed by automotons basing their calls on the use of an irrefutably measurable rule set. Until then, the closest we have is EA Sports. And I'm content to let it be that way for a while longer.

[HLin NC]

Quick and immediate have a different speed for 12 year olds than 17 year olds.

[bigjohn]

OK, then just put it this way. Picking up the ball and handing it to the QB is not a snap. Period.

[Jmuvol]

Originally Posted by InsideTheStripe

Like this??? Wrong Ball Trick Play in football gone bad - YouTube

The only thing that would make this better would be for the crew to actually call the penalty on the offense.

Hey coach...your kid just got rocked...
And by the way, we're going to stick you for 15...