Proper Penalty Enforcement

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Proper Penalty Enforcement

• Presented by
• Mike Sears and Tom Mellor
• Bloomington-Normal Officials Association

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It is Everyones Duty.

• Official who throws flag (or anyone who sees a
  flag) should signal timeout when ball is dead.
• Get EVERYONES attention with short tweets of the
  whistle.
• Somebody should hold the dead ball spot!
• Calling official should communicate with the
  referee and tell him EVERTHING.
• With multiple flags, both officials should get
  together before going to referee.
• Make sure flag is AT spot of foul.
• Referee gives preliminary signal.
• Umpire gets captains for Referee.
• Referee presents options to captain (do not rely
  upon R as the all-knowing).

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It is Everyones Duty.

• Umpire listens to (and verifies) Referees
  options and walks off yardage if penalty is
  accepted (suggest holding ball after enforcement
  until assured ball is at correct yard line).
• Linesman should be at enforcement spot ahead of
  Umpire.
• If Umpire and Linesman are not in same place,
  figure out why.
• Line Judge holds spot of enforcement (basic spot
  or spot of foul).
• Back Judge does whatever else needs to be done.
  (Retrieving flag, holding spot of foul, relaying
  information to a sideline, etc.)
• Blows and goes

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What Every Official Needs to Know

• Yardage assessed for every foul. (2004 Rulebook
  pg.83)
• Loss of down or automatic first down aspect of
  every foul.
• 4 Automatic 1st down fouls
• 4 loss of down fouls
• Signals for all fouls so you know the distance
  penalty for the foul.
• The type of play (running or loose ball play).
• Definition of Spots.
• The all-but-one principle.
• The special penalty enforcements (i.e.
  exceptions)
• When to start the clock (snap or ready-for-play).

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4 Automatic First Down Fouls

• Roughing Snapper
• Roughing Passer
• Roughing Kicker/Place Kick Holder
• Defensive Pass Interference.

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4 Loss of Down Fouls

• Illegal forward pass (Pass from beyond neutral
  zone or forward pass after change of possession
  and intentional grounding)
• Illegal forward handing
• Offensive pass interference
• Illegal touching

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To Enforce Penalty Properly Know

• Team that fouled (Offense or Defense)
• The basic spot
• The spot of the foul.

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Spot of Foul

• The place where the foul occurs. The penalty
  marker is used to mark this spot.
• This is the spot of enforcement for offensive
  fouls that occur behind the basic spot.
• For defensive fouls, this spot is insignificant.

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Basic Spot

• 2-40-1 The basic spot is a point of reference
  for penalty enforcement.
• It is determined by the action that occurs during
  the down.

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How to Determine Basic Spot

• Basic spot is previous spot for a loose-ball play
• Basic spot is the end of the run for a running
  play.
• Basic spot is the previous spot for fouls that
  occur simultaneously with the snap.
• Basic spot is the succeeding spot for dead ball
  fouls, unsportsmanlike fouls (no matter when they
  occur), a non-player foul, and when the results
  of the play is a touchback.
• Basic spot is the end of the kick for a PSK foul.

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Types of Plays

• Loose ball play is action that occurs
• During a free kick or scrimmage kick (unless
  post-scrimmage kick enforcement is used).
• A LEGAL forward pass.
• A backward pass (including snap), an illegal
  kick, or fumble by team A that originates from
  in or behind the neutral zone.
• All runs the precede any of those action listed
  above
• Note Ball must become loose from in or behind
  the neutral zone for a play to be considered a
  loose-ball play.
• No need to bag a loose ball behind the line of
  scrimmage.
• Running plays are anything that is not covered as
  a loose-ball play (or by Post Scrimmage Kick
  enforcement)

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Previous Spot

• 2-40-7 The previous spot is where the ball was
  last snapped or free-kicked.
• This is the basic spot for a loose-ball play.

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Succeeding Spot

• This is the spot where the ball would next be
  snapped had a foul not occurred.
• This is the enforcement spot for dead ball fouls,
  all unsportsmanlike conduct fouls, and non-player
  fouls.
• Includes fouls that occur before the snap like
  False Start and Encroachment

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End of the Run

• 2-40-9 The spot where a run ends is where a
  runner loses player possession or where the ball
  becomes dead in his possession.
• This is the basic spot for a running play.
• This is why we bag fumbles that occur beyond the
  line of scrimmage.

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Post Scrimmage Kick Spot

• This is the spot where a scrimmage kick ends.
• When does a kick end?
• This is the basic spot for post scrimmage kick
  (PSK) fouls

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Enforcement Spot

• The spot from which a penalty will be enforced.
  This will be EITHER the basic spot or the spot of
  the foul (unless covered by special enforcement).

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All But One Principle

• Fouls are enforced from the basic spot.
• The only exception is a foul by the offense that
  occurs behind the basic spot. These are enforced
  from the spot of the foul.
• PSK fouls behind the basic spot are enforced from
  the spot of the foul.

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Post Scrimmage Kick Fouls

• All conditions must be met.
• Foul is by R (AND)
• Foul occurs on Rs side of the expanded neutral
  zone (AND)
• Foul occurs prior to end of the kick (AND)
• The kick crosses the neutral zone (AND).
• R would be the team to next put the ball into
  play absent of the foul (AND)
• The play does not involve a successful field goal
  or kick try.

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Special Enforcements

• Free kick out of bounds
• Kick catching interference.
• Unfair Acts.
• Foul by opponent of the scoring team during
  successful field goal, try, or touchdown.
• Roughing the passer on a completed pass.

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Dead Ball Fouls

• Fouls that occur after a down has ended and
  before the ball is next snapped or free-kicked.
• Once the ball is dead, any foul committed by
  either team is a dead ball foul.
• Live ball A foul that occurs during the down
  (that is not unsportsmanlike conduct).
• Multiple two or more fouls by the SAME team
  (other the unsportsmanlike or non-player fouls).
  Offended team may choose ONE of the penalties to
  enforce.
• Non-player or unsportsmanlike a NON-CONTACT
  foul while the ball is dead or DURING the down
  which is not illegal participation and does not
  influence the play in progress.

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Double Fouls

• One or more live ball fouls committed by each
  team at such a time that the penalties offset.
• If both teams commit fouls, it is a double foul
  if
• There is no change of possession during the down
  (excludes PSK fouls).
• There IS a change of possession, and the team in
  final possession fouled PRIOR to gaining final
  possession (excludes PSK fouls). Team did not
  get ball with clean hands.
• There IS a change of possession during the down,
  and the team in final possession accepts the
  penalty for its opponents foul.

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Fouls by opponents that are not double fouls

• It is NOT a double-foul if both teams foul (AND)
  there is a change of possession (AND) the team in
  final possession fouls after gaining final
  possession. The team in final possession may
  keep the ball but they must decline their
  opponents foul and have their foul enforced.
  (Often referred to as Clean Hands)
• Unsportsmanlike fouls, non-player fouls, and dead
  ball fouls are not paired with live-ball fouls to
  create double fouls. Do not offset these.
• Fouls during a try are not paired with a
  dead-ball foul to create double or multiple-fouls.

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Dead ball and Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls

• Always enforced from succeeding spot.
• Double and Multiple dead ball, unsporting, or
  non-player fouls are enforced in the order of
  occurrence.
• Down counts.
• First down awarded if line-to-gain is reached
  before ball became dead. Penalty is then
  enforced and then chains are set (No 1st and 25).

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Personal Foul or Unsportsmanlike?

• Personal fouls are contact fouls. Two players
  fighting each other are charged with personal
  fouls, not unsportsmanlike fouls. Both players
  are STILL ejected but it isnt classified as UC.
• Unsportsmanlike fouls are NON-CONTACT fouls. Two
  unsportsmanlike fouls and a player is ejected.
  Players CAN be ejected after the first
  unsportsmanlike.

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Goofy Plays

• Roughing passer enforced from end of last run
• Multiple change of possessions more than 2
  fumbles on a play
• Multiple and double fouls on the same play
• Others???

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Questions?

• Questions about Penalty Enforcement?