The Glossary of American Football Part III
In the previous 2 parts of our Glossary on American Football we dealt with the basics and the positions of the players on the field. Now, it’s time to discuss the rules and their violation. It is an imperative knowledge as they can directly affect the outcome of a match. The provisions are very strict and you need to know what is going to happen before you place your bets at any of the top Asian and European bookmakers that we cooperate with.
The officials
As there are many ways to commit a foul, there are seven officials on a football field, each one responsible for a different aspect of the match. We have:
- The referee
He is the leader of the officials and is the one actually making the calls. He stands 15 yards in front of the offensive backfield to the left, behind where a tight-end should be. He stands out from the rest of the officials as he is the only one wearing a white cap. He is also fitted with the equipment to make the announcements through the PA System. - The Umpire
He stands in the same side as the referee but on the right side of the formation. He is responsible for marking the yards after a penalty, check the equipment of the players and determine which side has the ball after a fumble. At the time of a snap, he also watches for errors by the center lines of both sides. - The Down Judge
He stands to the opposite side of the line judge and checks for offsides, encroachments, false starts and foul plays at his side of the field. He also spots where a runner’s forward progress was stopped. He also determines if the ball, a runner, or a receiver, was, or went out of bounds and marks the spot on his side of the field. - The Line Judge
Stands at the end of the line of scrimmage at the other side from the down judge and has the same responsibilities for his side of the field. - The Field Judge
He stands on the same side as the line judge 20 yards inside the defensive territory and monitors for fouls or illegal use of hands and pass interference between the corner backs and the wide receivers on his side. He also rules on complete or incomplete passes on his side. - The Side Judge
He is the opposite number of the field judge on the same side as the down judge and has the same responsibilities. - The Back Judge
He is easy to spot as he is the one standing 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage and the last defensive player. He focuses on infringements between the defenders and the tight ends or the inside wide receivers. He is also responsible for the 40 and 25 second clocks and all the television time outs.
There is an eighth official, the Replay Judge who is not on the field during play. All officials wear the same black and white stripes with the initials of their position in front and a number at the back. Everyone else besides the referee, wears a black cap.
The infringements
What we will discuss about in this section is used in the NFL. You may find different terms for Canadian Football, the NCAA or for high school and college matches.
The first thing that you need to know is that the play does not stop, as happens in other sports, when there is a violation. It is continued until the ball is declared dead. The officials that notice a breach, throw a yellow flag down at the location that it occurred. Then they let the referee know what happened, and he makes an announcement, about what was the infringement, from which side, who was the perpetrator and the penalty. Depending on which side is punished (offense or defense), the last play may be completely cancelled, or any gains maintained and more ground is awarded through the penalty.
Let’s take a look at what can happen during a standard match according to how often they are called:
- Holding
With the exception of the ball carrier, blockers are not allowed to hold their opponent by passing the hands on the outside of their opponents’ shoulders’ width or behind their back (hugging). The penalty is five yards loss and a repeat of the down.
- False Start
This is an exclusively offensive violation. All players must be set and stand still right before the snap. If anyone moves before the snap then it’s a false start and the penalty is loss of 5 yards.
- Pass Interference
This can be an infringement in both offense or defense. Defenders cannot make an intentional physical contact with the receiver that the ball was thrown to, after the release by the quarterback and before any other player (or the receiver) touches it. On the other hand, a wide receiver cannot block a defender from reaching and intercepting a ball that is passed. The penalties are:a) For offensive pass interference loss of 10 yards and an automatic loss of down
b) For defensive pass interference the ball is spotted to where the foul occurred. If that spot is inside the in-zone, then the ball is placed on the 1-yard line. Automatic first down.
- Personal Foul
If any player resorts to unnecessary violence such as hitting an opponent after they have gone out of bounds, falling on a player after they have already gone down and the ball is declared dead, or perform a violent act against a player that is not involved in the play, it’s a personal foul. If the perpetrator is a member of the team in offense, then the penalty is 15 yards. For the defenders, the penalty is 15 yards at the end of any yardage gained by the offense and an automatic.
- Roughing the passer
This one is a rather tricky call. If a defender tries to sack the quarterback and the QB manages to release the ball before any contact is made, then the defender is allowed to take only one more step and then stop. If he touches the quarterback after taking 2 or more steps then the officials make the call. The penalty is 15 yards at the end of any ground gained by the offense and an automatic first down.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct
It’s similar to a personal foul but there must be no contact. If any person (player, coach, assistant, or even a spectator) acts or speaks in a manner that is deemed as abusive and unacceptable then the officials make the call. The penalty is 15 yards and an automatic first down.
- Illegal formation
As mentioned in the positions of each player, everyone has a designated area where he must stand right before the snap. If less than 7 players line up at the line of scrimmage, or more than 4 players stand in the backfield, or the wide receivers are not in the left or rightmost positions, then they get a 5-yard penalty. In certain occasion it can also be called against the receiving side in special teams.
- Delay of game
From the time a play ends until the next snap, unless a time-out is called, there is a 25 second time allowance. Every action that intends to hinder the next play results in a loss of 5 yards.
- Intentional grounding
The quarterback cannot throw the ball to the ground intentionally or out of bounds, while he is in the pocket. They usually do that when they are at the risk of a sack and a loss of yardage, or to delay the game. He must throw it to the direction of an eligible receiver within 5 yards of the intended target’s position. The infraction results either in a loss of 10 yards or the ball is spotted where the foul occurred depending on which of the two is further away from the line of scrimmage. If the foul occurred inside the in-zone then the play is called a safety.
- Face mask
Players are not allowed to intentionally grasp the face mask of an opponent while trying to tackle them. The penalty is 15 yards and an automatic first down if the perpetrator is a defender.
- Illegal contact
After a play has begun and a wide receiver has covered a distance of more than 5 yards from the line of scrimmage, the covering defender cannot make any significant contact with them that can hinder their advance. The result is a 5-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
- Illegal Shift
Players must be set for at least one second before the snap. If anyone is not in motion but also not set or more than one player are in motion when the snap is made then it’s a 5-yard penalty.
- Horse-collar tackle
If a player attempts to grab the inside of the shoulder pads of his opponent, or his jersey, from behind and then tries to yank them down, their team loses 15 yards and an automatic first down if the foul was committed by the defender.
- Ineligible receiver
Receivers of a forward pass cannot advance beyond the scrimmage line before the ball is thrown. If they do, their team loses 5 yards.
- Helmer-to-helmet collision
Players cannot bang their helmets against the ones that their opponents wear. The penalty for this infraction is a dozy. First of all, the video of the incident is reviewed. If it is deemed that the perpetrator targeted his opponent, then he is ejected from the match. If it happened during the second half, then the culprit also missed the first half of his team’s next match. An additional 15 yards loss is imposed. However, if the video reveals that there was no targeting then there is no penalty.
- Offside
This is a foul that can be declined by the team that’s hurt if the yardage gained is greater than the penalty. Defenders are not obliged to be set before the snap. But they must be set at the time of the snap. If anyone stands at the wrong side of the formation or jumps forward then the team loses 5 yards.
- Tripping
If a player trips an opponent with the lower leg, then it’s a loss of 10 yards plus an automatic first down if the foul was committed by the defense.
- Blocking below the waist
There can be no attempt of blocking an opponent by placing the hands below their waist. 15 yards and an automatic first down if the foul was committed by the defender.
- Block in the back
There can be no attempt to block any opponent that is not carrying the ball from behind. 10 yards are lost.
- Chop block
One of the techniques to bring an opponent down is to hit the knees. If a blocker attempts to do that at the same time as another blocker is trying to block the same opponent, 15 yards are lost and an automatic first down is awarded to the offense.
- Encroachment
A defender cannot cross the line of scrimmage and touch an opponent or go directly for the quarterback before the snap. The defense is pushed back another 5 yards.
The list includes the more serious of the violations. Punters may even find special bets about them. There are other ones that are of a lesser importance and it is doubtful that you will see a call for those as they are quite rare. American football may seem like a violent sport; however, the players are quite respectful of their opponents and tend to stay within the boundaries of the rules. They may try to bend them frequently but they will also try not to break them. They know that the ruling body of the sport will impose harsh punishments if they do.
Usually, we complete a glossary in two or three parts. However, American football is quite different from other sports, therefore, there will be a fourth addendum that will cover terms like the snap, the line of scrimmage, the downs and other general terms that form up the total lingo. You will need to understand what it is that the commentators refer to, during a match, before registering for an account via agent.