New Rule:
If a punter carries the ball outside the tackle box before he kicks on a “rugby-style kick,” there will be no roughing the kicker violation this season.
There is also a rule change regarding offensive formations. In the past, the rule stated that a team must have at least seven players on the line. The new rule now says a team may have no more than four players in the backfield. This is supposed to make it easier for officials.
Excellent. Because I hates me some me rugby-style punting.
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Does this rule:
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There is also a rule change regarding offensive formations. In the past, the rule stated that a team must have at least seven players on the line. The new rule now says a team may have no more than four players in the backfield. This is supposed to make it easier for officials.
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Apply only to kicking formations? There’s nothing that I can read there that limits that. Can we assume there might now be an uber-wishbone with a QB, RB, and 2 FBs?
That rule is for non-kicking situations (which is covered under a different rule. This applies to the illegal formation call for not enough men on the line of scrimage. Now the refs only need to count to 4 instead of 7. Phew!
“At least seven players on the LOS” and “no more than four players in the backfield” mean exactly the same thing. Unless they mean that WRs don’t have to be on the LOS. In that case, you could run five wide, all off the LOS, and have three linemen slightly off the LOS, “in the backfield.” Since the two remaining linemen on the LOS wouldn’t be covered up, there could be 11 players eligible to receive a forward pass. But I don’t think that’s what this rule change means. I think it’s just a re-wording, and nothing will actually change.
I love the no roughing the kicker deal on the rugby style kicks. It was a loophole that needed to be fixed. Now coaches won’t roll those guys out and keep coverage guys in check just to punt anyway. And if the dude doesn’t get it away? We flatten his @$$
I sort of assumed the 2nd part, about the 4 men in the backfield, was to cap over a loophole in non-kicking situations that A-11 type offenses might look to exploit, but I’m probably not thinking it through enough.
I don’t get the second part at all, the A11 style was already illegal in college. Does this allow for an offense to leave a tackle uncovered?
The formation rule change was intended to cut out the cheap fouls that occur when a team mistakenly puts only 10 players in the game and they have 6 on the line and 4 in the backfield. Since the rule before required 7 on the line, refs flagged only 6 on the line, even though a team only had 10 in the game. This was nuts as the team got no advantage playing shorthanded. SO now, as long as the team ha sno more than 4 in the backfield, there is no flag for an illegal formation, no matter how many there are in the game. The change has nothing to do with the A11 or making more people eligible.
Tackles could always be uncovered in the past and still can. They will be ineligible as long as they have an ineligible number, even if uncovered.
The only time any semblance of the A11 can be used in NCAA games is when a team might obviously attempt a scrimmage kick.
RefMike,
Thanks. Appreciate the explanation. It’s such a rational decision that I don’t think I’d ever have come to that conclusion.