Strange Youth Football Play
 

The snapper snapped the ball. The QB touched the ball (not sure if planned or if he had a hard time getting the ball), but the snapper then took off running with the ball. What should the call be? I have two options... either a snap infraction, which would have caused the ball to remain dead, which I don't think happened because the QB did touch the ball. Or maybe illegal handing. What do you all think? Have you seen this before?

Read rule 2.

2-40-2:
"The snap begins when the snapper first moves the ball legally other
than in adjustment. In a snap, the movement must be a quick and continuous
backward motion of the ball during which the ball immediately leaves the hand(s)
of the snapper and touches a back or the ground before it touches an A lineman."

Also, see 7-2-4:

"A snap shall be such that the ball immediately leaves the hand or
hands of the snapper and touches a backfield player or the ground before it
touches an A lineman. A scrimmage down must start with a legal snap. An illegal
snap causes the ball to remain dead."

If the snapper fails to release the ball, it's an illegal snap. Dead ball enforcement (7-1-4), 5 yards, replay the down.

Snap infraction. Ball never left the snapper's hand.

Yep, I should have blown it dead! That's why I like working youth games you see crap like this!

This is the classic "center sneak". It's a planned play. I've seen this play at youth level here in Texas. We shut it down as an illegal snap. The coach went nuts and we had to have him escorted out. You'd think that these coaches would realize there is a reason they don't run this play at the higher levels and that's because it's illegal.

The coach should be permanently escorted out of the league. There is no room for coaches who teach trick, unethical plays. They should be working on fundamentals as well as fair play, sportsmanship, dealing with winning and losing, setting goals, etc. There is SO much to be taught to kids in sports other than doing anything to win. They miss out on a great opportunity.

Reason #716 not to work youth ball.

Did they also run the wrong ball play? Youth coached crack me up.

Isn't that extreme for someone who just didn't know a rule? You should understand that coaches of children's football are volunteers, many of whom don't have that much knowledge of the game.

We're down to 2 coaches per team in our division. It can be hard to find people willing to coach, and recent publicity of a severe child abuse case associated with children's sports and with American football hasn't helped.

Besides their availability, coaches are often chosen for their experience in keeping the att'n of children. Knowledge of the game is good, but sometimes has to take a back seat to other consider'ns.

For some coaches, perhaps. Not this one. Long story short, after he was ejected, he was overheard by some of his own kids parents telling the players out in the parking lot that they should try to hurt the other team in the second half. Sure enough, there was an obvious late hit with intent to injure. We asked the kids if they were instructed to do that and we then warned the other coaches that if there was any further incident the game would be over. Sure enough, next play a kid drives a kid out of bounds 10 yards into the fence. Game over. We reported the coach and he was banned from coaching in league. This was 7 years ago.

I see your point, although in Texas we don't really have that issue. Yes, there are dumb coaches - at youth, but also at HS and everything in between. But there's no shortage of dads that want to be involved in coaching the teams because they think it gives their kid a leg up. And every single one of them think that every single game, from 6U to HS, is Monday Night Freaking Football.

Ignorance was not that individual's only failing. Or perhaps you don't understand what "the coach went nuts" means, or what his behavior teaches his players?

No greater truth has been written.

Yeah and I found out today, as I work with someone who was at the game because his nephew was on the team, that the crowd was complaining that I threw a flag on it and could not understand how it was against the rules. Now I did have it wrong as I whould have killed it as a dead ball penaltly, but regardless, some things just crack me up.

Meh. "The coach went nuts" is relative and could mean anything from a minor tantrum that wouldn't get you confined to a baseball dugout, to a full-on epic instant-youtube-sensation meltdown.

Teaching players to cheat and hurt the opponents is sociopathic, though, and rightfully deserves to be forcefully extricated from the league. With steel batons, if necessary.

(I rarely advocate violence, but when a man teaches children to hurt other children, physical violence is a far more merciful fate than what some mothers would come up with.)