New FK rule interpretation?
 

Some debate going on about this: Let's assume all 11 K players are 5 yards or less from the ball. The debate is whether they are all eligible to become the kicker.

The rationale is that only the middle 3 K players can legally kick the ball, because "after the ready for play and until the ball is kicked" there must be 4 players on either side of the kicker.

If, for instance, a K player from the very end loops around and kicks it, then at some point after the RFP, he did not have 4 players to both sides of him.

You're right about the "4 players on each side of the kicker after RFP and until the kick" rule wording.

However, by definition, the kicker isn't the kicker until he actually kicks the ball (2-32-8).

So these seem to be in conflict.

The casebook plays provide no clarification to this situation.

Personally, I'd rule this as legal in the absence of a ruling from a local/state rules interpreter, under the theory that the "spirit of the rule" is to ensure that there are at least 4 players on each side of the kicker at the time of the kick.

In NC, we have been told that if all 11 are in the "5 yard zone" then any one of the 11 may kick provided there are at least 4 K players on each side of the kicker / ball when kicked.

___________________________________ ...35 yard line

...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11......Any one can kick as long as 4 per side of the kicker / ball when kicked

___________________________________ ...40 yard line

As for "he is not a kicker until he kicks the ball", this was never an issue with 6-1-3a.

I did the "what if" with our crew regarding this same thing when we were going over the new rule definitions earlier in the year. As long as those parameters have been met, that's exactly how I see it.

While I agree that your interpretation makes sense, it's not within the letter of the rule. Personally, I think this one of the most poorly written new rules I've seen in a while.

Not having a rule book in front of me, I'm at a loss for verbiage, but the MechanicGram from the test discussed this lightly.

The formation in the MechaniGram becomes illegal when the ball has been declared ready-for-play. K3, K4, K5 and K6 are all more than five yards from their free kick line. No K players, with the exception of the kicker may be more than five yards behind the kicking team’s free kick line. A player satisfies this rule when no foot is on or beyond the line five yards behind K’s free kick. If one player is more than five yards behind the restraining line and any other player kicks the ball, it is a foul.

http://nhiaa.org/PDFs/5446/2014NFHSF...Powerpoint.pdf

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It is, which is why I don't think anybody's likely to enforce it as written. Rather, they'll enforce it as if it were NCAA's wording, i.e. in relationship to the ball when it's kicked, because otherwise it'll have to be like, hmm, where was the guy who just kicked the ball a few secs. before he kicked it, and where was everybody else on his team?

it's like Fed thought they were being all clever by adopting their own provision separate from other codes to try to achieve the same effect while being "original" or "creative" or some such. There was a time when Fed's rules writing was so good it was a model of clarity for other codes, but they didn't get that way by thinking like this. That era ended ~35 yrs. ago, but it's taken a long time for this much badness to accumulate, as they were working from what had become a very good base over the preceding ~35 yrs.

Our state has interpreted the rule to be "when the ball is kicked". Makes perfect sense to me.

I think that makes perfect sense to just about everyone. Just wish they'd worded it that way.