Imma DB and I can strip the ball out of someone’s hands and run the other way with it while the wideout is catching the ball. If your brian can’t comprehend player safety, then maybe you shouldn’t be coaching football.

You're welcome, feel free to use any of our stuff as you see fit. There's an excellent video put together by the EFOA Association on the changes to rule 10. I highly recommend it kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpa4hZ2Ym7Znlbc

Hope I don’t have to say this every time I disagree but great video work, love it not trying to be disrespectful just to get us talking

When I pause the video at 8:29, It seems contact was initiated with the shoulders and head, with a push-off after the contact which is when I see the hands / arms coming out. I don't see the hands ahead of the head and shoulder as the initial point of impact

You're going to get me in hot water if I do that. I've seen a couple of plays where the runner clearly initiated contact but it's such a difficult call because it's natural for a player to compress when he's about to be hit. A lot of officials simply will not make that call. If you've got some good examples, let me know.

I'm not sure what Mechanics Manual you are looking at, but it is not the current OCFOA manual. Section 15: Forward Passes, Umpire d. After observing the play of linemen and their contact with up blocking backs, pivot to assist on low trajectory and short passes. Regardless, the action you are concerned with is the responsibility of the flank on that side with a possible assist from the R. You couldn't be more incorrect when you state "The Umpire should have no opinion on that pass into the flat" We need the Umpire to have an opinion, particularly on catch/no catch. He's also got coverage in the halo around the runner for illegal actions by both the offense and the defense. Play 3, you completely missed the point of including that play in the video. We used that play and I state in the video that some officials may believe that because the receiver had time to coil he was not defenseless. The CIF "Standard" (we are trying to get away from the term "philosophy") is based on Rule 2-32-16 which includes the verbiage "When in question, a player is defenseless." This play is an example of a situation when the player may or may not be defenseless. Based on the standard, he is defenseless. The contact was forceful and the contact did not fall into one of the 3 legal types of contact on a defenseless receiver, therefore, targeting or not, it is a foul.

So it is your opinion that "observe" means to watch and then leave to cover something else despite their being 2 linemen engaged and a possible takedown and UNS? On this play, The U is looking through 2 players for possible help on a pass near the LOS outside the numbers despite having 2 players engaged in contact, with one overpowering the other and a possible reaction / 2nd act. IMO, that should have remained the focus of the U because of the higher level of threat. If those 2 players get into something beyond or the player on the ground reacts to being "sat on", who is better positioned to handle that situation? On this play, the QB is rolling out to the HL side and the R is responsible for the QB (Grounding, late hits, pass / fumble, etc) according to Mechanics Manual Section 15-1 a-d. So how, when, and why would the R even come back to that action? As you stated in the video, the R can't help. Again, the receiver in play 3 has eliminated 2 conditions of being defenseless. As you state, both his ability to focus and concentrate on the defender and his ability to adjust his body position remove those two factors in the "Defenseless" definition (2-32-16). That doesn't mean the hit is necessary legal, and in this case, I would support a foul for illegal helmet contact. However, based on your comments he can not be defenseless by definition. I think the language in the video contradicts the rule book and could lead to confusion. Yes, when in question a player is defenseless, however based on your statements, the question no longer exists when he is actually able to defend himself. My comments are not intended to aggravate, but rather question some of the information where confusion is created. The title also mentions "Legal" vs Illegal contact on defenseless receivers but fails to show both.

@@jasonboykin1114 The correct mechanic for the umpire on this type of play is to let himself be turned by the ball and help with subsequent action and catch/no catch rulings. The manual does not say to stay with action at the line. You state " If those 2 players get into something beyond or the player on the ground reacts to being "sat on", who is better positioned to handle that situation?" That's the job of the opposite flank. You are correct, in this situation the R cannot help. Play 3 I'm not sure where you are getting these conditions you are quoting, it's certainly not the rule book. There is nothing in the rule book that states the player is no longer defenseless when he has the ability to focus on the defender or adjust his body position, you're making stuff up. It does give examples of a defenseless player and one is "A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner; " In my opinion the receiver has not "clearly become a runner". That's also the opinion of the state rules interpreter. When in question the player is defenseless. It's a rule, not an opinion.

@@MarkAndrewsOCFOA Also, there is some confusion regarding the CFOA Mechanics Manual and the OCFOA Mechanics. Specifically in Section 15, II Umpire letter d. The language in the OCFOA Manual seems to match the CFOA Manual. Except in the CFOA Manual, it states "After observing play of linemen and their contact with up blocking backs, pivot to assist on low trajectory and short passes over the center of the line.". Is the OCFOA doing a CFOA mechanic here or doing a SDCFOA mechanic, based on the deletion of "....over the center of the line" regarding pivoting and assisting on passes? If it is a SDCFOA mechanic, that should be italicized for clarity. I think officials would benefit from some clarity regarding this change / omission.

@@jasonboykin1114 OCFOA uses the OCFOA Mechanics Manual. CFOA is aware.

Steve, I really appreciate that. Feel free to contact me here ocfoa.org/contact-us/ with any questions or concerns. That contact us information comes directly to me.

Are you talking the play where the receiver get sandwiched between two defenders? Let's break down your comment. The new rule 2-32-16d states "A defenseless player is a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury. A player who initiates contact against a defenseless player is responsible for making legal contact. When in question, a player is defenseless. Examples of defenseless players include, but are not limited to: d. A receiver in (b) and (c) above, including the person intercepting the pass, who is forcefully contacted by an opponent and that contact is not: 1. Incidental contact as a result of making a play on the ball; 2. Initiated with open hands; or 3. An attempt to tackle by wrapping arm(s) around the receiver. Notice there is no stipulation for helmet contact in order for this to be a foul, nor is there a stipulation for a hit above the shoulders. You may be confusing the foul for "Excessive Contact to a Defenseless Player" with "Targeting" There is also no stipulation that the player be driven into the ground for this contact to be a foul. There is no stipulation for Excessive Force just forcefully contacted, there's a difference. If you determine that the contact was forceful and most contact is and you determine the receiver was defenseless when the forceful contact occurred, then there are only 3 legal ways to forcefully contact him and they are listed above. If the contact does not fit one of those 3 criteria, it is a personal foul. Certainly the forceful contact in the first play does not fit one of those 3 criteria. This is definitely a foul under the new rule. It's actually a foul under the old rules.

Except you can clearly see that that defender did make an attempt to wrap up the reciever. It's very clear on camera that he defenders arms go around the reciever when contact is made. That is legal contact, and it looks like you blew that call even with video evidence.

Thanks for the feedback. Please feel free to spread the link around. This new KZbin notification policy is making it really difficult to get the word out. It will really help if you and others spread the word.

Thanks Charles, this new KZbin notification policy is making it really difficult to get the word out. It will really help if you and others spread the word.

Thanks, Tristan, I appreciate the support. I'm fighting an uphill battle.

Thanks Tristan, you couldn't be more correct. I've even started watch football on TV and looking at zones rather than the ball. Zone assignments and shifting zones has made a tremendous difference in the crews that are embracing that philosophy. We have a saying, "at most, 2 sets of eyes should be on the ball"

@@MarkAndrewsOCFOA That's actually how I was trained! One of the best mentors and coaches I ever had told me to practice with my keys and zones while watching on Saturdays/Sundays. Easily one of the best techniques I've seen for getting new officials to break the ball-watching habit!

I agree that the LT rise would be hard to catch without slo-mo and in real time is probably ruled legal.

Brian, I apologize, I didn't see you question. My answer would be no. The neutral zone is 11 inches wide. The LOS is the A45, he actually gains possession beyond the A46 so this meets the criteria for PI.

You're most certainly welcome. Please spread the word!

Touchback. R can never score a TD on a scrimmage kick unless it is fumbled after R has possession (at this point it is no longer a scrimmage kick, it is a running play). A muff is not possession. 8-5-3b It is a touchback when: b. Any scrimmage kick or free kick becomes dead on or behind K’s goal line with the ball in possession of K (including when the ball is declared dead with no player in possession) and the new force is R’s muff or bat of the kick after it has touched the ground. 2-13-4 (Force definition) Force is not a factor: a. On kicks going into R’s end zone,

Elias that is a great catch. I didn't read the question closely enough. Great job, you are correct, in order to be a passer you must throw a legal forward pass.

Mitch, I am gratified to hear that. Please encourage your fellow 1st year officials to take advantage of this resource

Charles, we have not received our rule books yet, I have to pick them up early next week. To be quite honest, we have been making legal equipment properly worn a Point of Emphasis for about the past 6 years. Our former IC was hardcore about it and he met with a lot of pushback (we're not the uniform police etc), but slowly and surely most of the guys started to buy in and I can honestly say that the teams in Orange County (CA) are almost always properly and legally equipped. The thing I've noticed is that the teams now look like teams. They are all wearing their uniforms the same way and it LOOKS GOOD. The only problems we continue to have are 1) Players with their knees exposed (usually receivers) and 2) lineman that cant get their jersey down to the top of their pants, usually because they weight close to 300lbs and their gut wont let the jersey come down (not much we can do about that, we ask them to wear an undershirt the same color as the jersey and have it tucked in). We don't hesitate to send a player off for legal equipment worn improperly. It doesn't matter if it's their star quarterback or their kicker about to attempt a field goal. It's tough at first, you get a lot of pushback from the coaches, but after awhile the coach is no longer mad at us, he's mad at the player. We did the exact same thing with enforcing the restricted area. Lots of pissed off remarks and grumbling at first (2 or 3 seasons) but now it's rarely a problem. There are even teams that have an assistant whose only job is to grab the coach by the back of the pants and pull him out of the restricted area as the snap becomes eminent.