The eligible receiver rule (#5 on list) is actually not all that complicated. I think I have a pretty good grasp on that one.

#2, #3, and #4, I am aware of the rule, but I don't think I could explain it to someone else ;D

#1 -- What the heck?!? Never even heard of that until just now. I saw a message board post where a guy said he thought it was because one of the Pats players ran out of bounds and then back in before touching the ball, which is illegal.

To me, the most confusing part of the NFL rules is not a specific rule, but it is which plays are considered to be "judgment calls" and therefore not reviewable. Isn't every call a judgment call?? If we are reviewing whether a pass was incomplete or caught for a fumble, and the refs are trying to determine whether the player made a "football move", how is that not a judgment call???

In a college game this weekend a team made a first down, then after the play was over a player on offense was flagged for a personal foul. 15 yards were marked off, but it was 1st and 10! I have seen this before. The first down was made as soon as the play was over, so I think it should be 1st and 25.

Illegal substitution is pretty simple really. A team has twelve players on the field or in the huddle and it is a five yard penalty if flagged before the ball is snapped.
This rule was made so offenses(or defenses for that matter) couldnt disquise their packages in the huddle and then have one player run off the field right before the ball is snapped.

If you saw the Bears-Chargers game, evidently encroachment or offsides is a confusing penalty.

In the CFL they have a no yards rule where the punting team must stay 5 yards away from the punt returner before the catch. The rule is easy enough to understand but punishes the kicking team and eliminates the possibility of a potentially memorable tackle. If we were concerned about getting hurt we would play soccer. P.S. Our thoughts are with our American friends on the anniversary of this horrific day.

Here's the eligible receiver rule as I understand it. On any given play, there must be exactly seven men on the line of scrimmage for the offense. If the line is un-balanced (four or more men to the left of center), only the outermost man is an eligible pass receiver. That is why when there are two recievers to one side, one must be slightly behind the line of scrimmage. This man is often referred to as the slot receiver. He is "covered up" by the outermost receiver who is on the line of scrimmage. The extra O-lineman report as eligible receivers because they wear a number of a normaly ineligible player and play an eligible position.

there was one in the giants-cowboys game that happened on two consecutive plays where the ref said something about wide receiver lined up over the tight end...it was an illegal formation call. whats up with that?

There is no 'halo' rule any more that was taken out because it was unnecessary.
The eligible receiver rule is pretty simple. If you aren';t on the end or in the backfield you can't touch the ball before an eligible person does. I beileve in college and no in high school that players actually have to change numbers to be eligible. This simplifies that rule.
Hard to believe someone getting paid by the biggest sports magazine in the world is allowed to write on something he doesn't know.

What about illegal blocking of the eyes. This was called last year in the Patriots Colts game. I think a Patriot player put his arm in front of the Colts players eyes and they called this.

Oh, come on - it's not that hard.

"Illegal Touching" - one of the players went into the end zone, then touched the ball. That makes it a touchback because the ball is considered to be in the end zone, as well. (The other use of this rule is if the player has gone out of bounds and come back in.)

"Illegal block" - on a return, when you block a defender in the back, but below the waist, it's "clipping". When you block him in the back but above the waist, it's "illegal block in the back", often shortened to "illegal block." As opposed to "illegal blockhead", which appropriately describes Bob Davie.

The rest have been discussed ad nauseum

Although roughing the kicker on its face seems simple enough, but why do you only get penalized for running into him if you don't block the ball? I understand to a degree it is a timing issue, as with roughing the passer, but if your diving to block the kick, miss the ball and your momentum carries you into the kicker that shouldn't be a penalty.

What about intentional grounding? It's no different than a QB scrambling, ducking, juking or even running out of bounds. If the QB wants to throw the football away to avoid that sack then so be it. I've never understood, why does the QB have to be between the hash marks in order for this rule to take effect? Is there some special aura about it? If a QB scrambles and then throws the ball away, why isn't that intentional grounding?

The eligible receiver rule is simple. The 5 offensive linemen are not allowed to move past the line of scrimmage unless it is a running play. Therefore in the goal line situation where a tackle is 'eligible', he is merely taking the place of a tight end, but 5 line men still must remain behind.

The cover up rule has to do with having seven men on the line of scrimmage at all times. In a basic I-Formation you would have 5 linemen, a tight end, and one receiver on the line. The other receiver would have to be off the line of scrimmage. If both receivers were on the line, then the tight end would become ineligible because he is 'covered' by the outside receiver.

I know it sounds complicated, but if you were to draw it out and look at it, it would make a lot more sense.

For Rule #1, I didn't see the game. But Usually for this, the opposing player went out of bounds and then came back in. If this was the case he can't be the first guy to touch the ball.

Inelligible Receiver: For goal-line stances, I think it is just a number thing. Depending on position, WR, TE, & RBs have certain jersey numbers. Lineman have certain numbers.

The one rule that seems to be a little confusing is the illegal formation. Usually if the WR or TE is a little too close or far from the line of scrimmage, they will say something like the left tackle was left uncovered by the WR. The announcers should do a better job of explaining how many people have to be at the line of scrimmage.

Lang, you cannot run out of bounds and be the first player to touch the ball on a kick. I thought this was common knowledge. It's certainly come up in numerous prior games. Usually the ref announces WHY they call it, though.

Lang, you're not actually this stupid are you?

The Tuck Rule: I think I finally figured out the why of this rule, and it is to bail out officials.

I interpret the Tuck Rule to say that a ball that comes loose is considered an incomplete pass when the QB is pulling the ball back toward his body after faking a pass.

Why is this rule in place? So an official doesn't have to decide in real time if the QBs arm was going forward or backward. Did the ball come loose at the endpoint of the arm going forward, but a millisecond before going backward? Was it a millisecond AFTER starting backward? Was it at the endpoint? "We can never discern the difference with the naked eye," says the League. "We'll call them all incomplete passes and go to lunch."

League owners had a chance to rescind the Tuck Rule after the Patriots-Raiders game, and yet they did not. And I think it's because they didn't want to put officials in the unenviable position of deciding the split-second between an arm going forward (incomplete pass) or backward after going forward (which by all rights should be a fumble). So they throw up their arms like Bud Selig at the All-Star Game tie and call them all incomplete passes.

I don't like the Tuck Rule, but I understand it.

This is not confusing, so much it is ridiculous and uncanny.

Suppose Team A punts to Team B. The returner for Team B calls a fair catch, and fields it cleanly. Instead of sending the offense out, Team B can elect to send its kickoff team out to the yardline where the punt was fielded. The kicker can attempt to kick the ball through the field goal posts (kicking off a kickoff tee, no less) for three points. If the kick is missed, Team A can return the kick like a normal kickoff, assuming the ball remained in the field of play. This strange scenario is called a "free kick". I have only see this occur once in a game, and that was a high school football game.

How about the holding rule on offensive linemen? Although I thought I understood the rule, the fact is that holding takes place on practically every play but the refs seem to only enforce it randomly.

The "tuck rule" is pretty simple in my view. The idea is that you don't want the ref having to make a judgement call on whether the QB was about to pass or about to tuck the ball. This way, if the arm is moving forward, it's considered a pass no matter what. If the ball is dropped or knocked away then it is ruled dead as an incomplete pass.

I Thought only the Fumbling Player Can Recover his own fumble during the game if the ball is fumbled Forward. Well, that happened last night with two Different Situations. in The CIN/BAL game, A player Fumbled the ball forward and his Teamate recovered down field for a First Down. In the SF/AZ game, the same Situation Happened at the Goal Line by a SF Player Late in the game and recovered by another SF Player for a TD only to say the Rule Says that in the last Two Minutes of a game, Only the Fumbling Player can Recover his Fumble. Talk about a Dumb Rule. Make one rule and stick with it, what if the Play started with 2:05 Minutes left in the game and the Fumble Occured 8 seconds after the Play? what Happens?

Rules governing posession are definitely the most confusing. Instant replay has really hurt pro football in this aspect because instead of watching a WR catch a ball, tuck it, and fall out of bounds in real time, now we slow it down and try to determine if the ball "moved" in his hands before he hit the ground. There are all sorts of variations on this play and most of them are vague at best.

That's the problem, Lang, you haven't played organized football. That's why its confusing for you. Stick to fantasy tips would ya.

I always get confused about a rule on receivers in motion having to get "set" before the snap of the ball. So they all have to stop before the ball is snapped? I've seen a lot of plays in college and the NFL where the player is still in motion, moving parallel to the line of scrimmage and they snap the ball. No call. What the heck is that? It gets even more complicated when the ref somehow spots the fact that there has to be ten men on the line of scrimmage at all times.

The officials for the Bears-Chargers game apparently didn't know that if a defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage or neutral zone between the lines before the ball is snapped, it's offsides. The ball, even when snapped (or in that case, snapped then "fumbled"), should be dead once Tommie Harris made contact with an offensive lineman. Don't know what that call was and the rule on snaps and offsides are even more confusing because of it.

Eligible receivers are pretty simple. The player on the end of the line is eligible. The player off the line(technically in the backfield) is also eligible-to a maximum of 4 players in the backfield adn therefore seven players on the line.

A WR on the line of scrimmage can "cover up" a TE on the line making the TE ineligible.
Eligible receivers must wear Nos 1-49 and 80-99(at least in High School and College-it might be 80-89 in the NFL). I think a player wearing 50-79 can report as an eligible receiver

One of the most random rules i have ever seen was called in the 49er-Cards game. If during the final 2 mins of a game, a fumble goes forward into the endzone, only the player who fumbled or the defense my recover. If not, the ball goes back to the place of the fumble. Why does it matter if there is less than 2 mins left? I dont get it...

What are the TV timeout rules in the NFL??? It's SO annoying to watch three commercial breaks within three plays, like I saw, I think, on Sunday Night Football this weekend.

Hey here is an idea..... if you dont understand football in the first place, don't post your comment. You only make yourself look more gay than you already are.

During the Bills/Broncos game, a player who had the ball (I honestly can't remember who) ended up fumbling the ball. While there was a scramble forit, he actually hit the ball with his hand and the ball went out of bounds. He neded up getting flagged for an "illegal bat". What I dont get is what's wrong if he tries to hit the ball out of bounds to prevent the opposing team from getting it? And how much more different is it when a bunch of guys try to jump on the ball and it rolls out of bounds anyway. For all we know anyone in the scrum could have hit it out.

Hmm...the last anonymous poster that talked about holding must be a Madden fan, since everytime there's holding in the video game, John Madden says that almost verbatim.

If I can answer all of these questions, do I get your job? What a dumb column - The title made it sound like you were going to explain the rules not, "hey, I'm a professional sports writer but I'm clueless - so even though it's my job to know this stuff, how about you readers explain some it to me." HOW CAN A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS WRITER NOT UNDERSTAND 5 ELLIGIBLE RECEIVERS!!?!

As for the "Tuck Rule", if I was teaching a QB, every time he dropped back to pass I would have him fake a pass, that way he could never fumble the ball unless he actually tucked it back in. There is no time limit on how long his passing motion is...

What is the rule that only the player who fumbles can recover that fumble if the ball goes forward? This happened at the end of the Arizona - SF game last night. Arnaz Battle (SF) fumbled it at the 1 and another 49er recovered it in the endzone. I thought that would be a TD, but the ball was brought back to the 1.

I have an issue with false start penalties. Now I know the rule, at least what it's supposed to be. My problem is that if the left tackle so much as wiggles a pinkie, they flag him, but there doesn't seem to be a rule against the center lifting his head, looking around, and pointing this way and that. Is there some point at which a lineman commits that he is "set" until the ball is snapped? If so, what is that point?

While we're on false starts, does it drive anyone else crazy when the ref says, "Before the snap, false start."? I personally haven't seen a whole lot of false starts that happen after the snap.

Not necessarily confusing but stupid: Undefeated Ohio State lost to Michigan State in 1998 due primarily to a call I had never seen. Ohio State had forced the Spartans to punt from their own territory. As the ball comes down (there is no attempt to field it), it strikes a Buckeye lineman on the back. He had made no attempt to hit it, catch it or otherwise interfere with it. A Michigan State player lands on it, and they get possession in the red zone. The play turned the tide in the game. Dumb, dumb, dumb!

1. Illegal Touching

If a player touches the goal line or goes in the end zone, he is not allowed to touch the ball on a punt. If he does, it is Illegal Touching as if the ball went in the end zone.

2. Illegal Block

Blocking from behind is illegal, simple as that. A lower block behind the back is called clipping. If the player's shoulder pads are in front of the player he is hitting, the block is considered legal.



3. Illegal substitution

The offense sends out 11 players to the huddle. The defense is then allowed to substitute. However, neither the offense or defense are allowed to have more than 11 players in the huddle in an effort to disguise their intentions.

4. The Tuck Rule

This is a pretty tired one. If the QB starts to pass and then pulls the ball into his body, it is still considered a pass and no fumble can occur. However, if the QB successfully 'tucks' the ball into his body and continues to have possession of it, if he loses the ball it is considered a fumble. The Patriots love this rule.


5. Eligible Receivers

There are only 5 eligible receivers on offense, 6 if the QB is in the shotgun. The other 5 lineman are not eligible. Normally this is clearly designated by the player numbers (O-linemen are 50-79). Sometimes, the offense might want to use an 6th or 7th offensive lineman as an extra blocker. Technically, this player is lining up as an eligible receiver and this fact must be communicated to the defense.

The receivers "covering the tackles" has become confusing because the actual names for the receivers have fallen into disuse. As mentioned, there are five lineman. You _must_ have an eligible receiver "covering" the lineman on each side. Normally, the "tight end" lines up right next to one of the tackles and a wide receiver (which used to commonly known as the "split end" would line up on the line of scrimmage, but far away from the tackle. All other eligible receivers can NOT be on the line of scrimmage. The wide receiver on the side of the tight end is a yard off the line and called the "flanker". Any receiver than lines up a yard off the line between the tackle and the split end is usually called the "slot" receiver.

Now for my pet peeve. "The ground can't cause a fumble". Not true! The actual interpretation of this rule is that when a player is in possession of the ball, is tackled, and hits the ground, if the ball comes loose it is not a fumble. Not because the ground can't cause a fumble but because the split second that player hit the ground, he is considered down. If the player is not touched by an opposing player and falls and the ball comes loose, that IS considered a fumble.

Illegal substituion is simple. No more than 11 men in the huddle. Running back and forth don't matter. You'll notice as guys run on the field they are motioning and yelling and guys break the huddle before they get there.

You want a truly funny rule. In college if your knee touches the ground you're down. Every extra point and field goal breaks this rule as soon as the holder touches the ball.

The one point safety in college football. I still have no idea how that works and what the differences are between that and a two point safety.

the only partway confusing one is number two. the others you make sound difficult but really aren't

Oh, and the one point safety exists in the NFL too, but the rules for it are different. I don't understand that one as well. It's never happened in the NFL whereas the one point safety has occurred in college.

How about the one that says something about "making a true football move" or something like that? What is a true, football move? Isn't running, or even standing, while holding the ball a true football move?

Illegal receiver downfield is one of the most confusing rules in football. How far downfield is illegal; when is it illegal????

The "free kick" rule (described in an earlier post) is absolutely the quirkiest one I know about, and I saw it used in NFL game once when Dan Reeves was coaching the Broncos. I believe that this "free kick" option is only allowed when the fair catch is made on the punting team's side of the field. The Broncos attempted to convert 3 points this way at the end of a half when only a few seconds were left.

But the most *confusing* rule to me is the one that says that if you fumble the ball through your opponent's endzone it's actually a *turnover* and your opponent takes over on the 20 yard line. Why is that??!! With a fumble anywhere else on the field, your opponent has to actually establish onfield control of the ball in order for it to be a turnover. I'm thinking of Champ Bailey's 100+ interception return against the Pats two years ago. He fumbled out of bounds at the end of the play. If the refs had instead judged the ball to have crossed the goal line on its way out of bounds, however, the ball would have turned over to the Patriots on their own 20 yardline -- a pretty stupid way to penalize a guy for making a spectacular play with a small hiccup at the end.

I was at a Lions game a couple of years ago... when a call was made that bewildered all the fans in the section I was sitting in.

The Detroit returner called a fair catch as time expired in the first half. There was an announcement made about Detroit refusing the chance for a field goal attempt. So it seemed something along the lines of - if there is a fair catch to end the half or game, the receiving team has the option of attempting a field goal from the spot where the fair catch was made.

At least that's how we THOUGHT it went...

Has anyone heard of the fair catch kick? If not, email me at midnightvaginas@yahoo.com, I will explain it

how about that "leaping" penalty that was in the playoffs a few years back?

Perhaps it would be easier to understand the rules if you had included them with the article. Instead of just complaining about them.
The illegal touching is one of the defenders either went out of bounds or into the end zone
Don't know about the illegal block didn't see it
Illegal substitution 12 men on the field
The tuck rule has already been debated after the Raider Patriot game. You can't fumble if for any reason the QB's arm is moving forward

#1 - A big thing your missing is why it was called a touchback. Since the player ran out of bounds and was the first person to touch the ball, it was flagged as "Illegal Touching." However, since the penalty occured within the 5 yard line and the endzone, the rule then states that the receiving team will be awarded a touchback.

Lang - you're an idiot. If you really watched football every weekend for 25 years like most American males, then you would understand all these rules to some extent. Every fan of every team has been burned by referees calling these penalties such as Ed "the Hulk" Hockulee (don't know how to spell his name, don't care to look it up but you know who I'm talking about).

Whitaker is obviously baiting you. There's no way anyone who watches football seriously and writes about (this eliminates certain announcers of course) cannot know these things.

JAD

The story here is not the rules, but the inability of announcers to explain what they have been paid to explain. As you said, these rules come up so often that there really is no excuse to just gloss over them.

A simple mention that the Pats player went out of bounds before touching the kick would have cleared it up. Similarly with other plays.

Instead you have idiots who don't know the rules and they choose to cover that up by pontificating about what they think it should be.

Phil Simms calling Hobbs for "face guarding" in Indy is just another example - the rule was removed some years before.

If an offensive tackle makes the slightest flinch, it's a penalty. But a center can wave his free arm all around pointing here and there and it's not a penalty.

Someone already covered the Lions game.

On covering eligible receivers (which still hasn't been completely explained properly), there is a difference between pro and college. In the pros, there must only be one eligible receiver on the LOS on each side of the ball (as was explained). In college, you can unbalance things and put both needed eligible receivers on the same side of the ball, as long as there are 4 total offensive players (eligible receivers, including QB) off the LOS.

Also, there is nothing that says that the linemen have to be balanced (2 to each side of the center) or next the center. They can be spread wide as well, as long as they are properly covered.

The fumbling rule in the last 2 minutes of the game (or for a 4th down play) is the result of some Raiders shenanigans on the final play of the game where a player (Kenny Stabler), about to be sacked, intentionally fumbled forward and the ball was batted towrd the end zone where another Raider recovered for the winning touchdown. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Holy_Roller_(American_football).

Some of these posts are erroneous.. you don't have to have 7 men on the line of scrimmage.. you have to have AT LEAST 7 men on the line of scrimmage. You can have 10 men on the LOS if you want, but only the outermost guy on each side of the formation is an eligible receiver. When an OL reports as eligible, it's because he's wearing an ineligible number but wants to be eligible (only for that play). This is how tackle-eligible plays work. There would be four linemen on one side of the center (not necessarily OL players but there must be 4 players on the LOS on that side of the center to make the formation legal) and two on the other side (including the eligible tackle who must be on the end of the line..ie any other eligible players on that side must be lined up off the LOS)

Like you, I am no expert, but. . .

1. Illegal Touching of the Kick: I think what probably took place is a guy on the coverage team went into the end zone and came back out and touched the ball.

2. Illegal Block: I didn't see the block your talking about, but it is probably the same thing they talk about all the time. It is a very violent block where the blocker is usually behind the play and the defense has no chance to see him coming.

3. Illegal substitution: You can't have more than 11 guys in the huddle.

4. The Tuck Rule: This makes it easy, believe it or not, for the refs. There are many different motions when you throw a football, some forward, some backj, and everything in between. It is hard to look at a replay and determine when the ball came out, and if it is a fumble or a incomplete pass. This rule says that as soon as a players starts to throw the football it is an incomplete pass if he loses the ball, even if he is not in the act of throwing, until he returns the ball to a normal "holding" position.

5. Eligible Receivers: Two parts to this one. First, the tackle on each side of the line has to be covered, somebody on the line outside of them. As for the eligble receivers, they have to have specific numbers on their jerseys to be "eligible". Lineman don't, so when they come in they have to declare that they are eligilbe. I think this has something to do with the defense and the refs being able to know who is eligible to catch a pass so the know they might be going down field.

As I stated, I am no expert, so don't hold me to anything, but I hope this helps.

This is a prime example why we shouldn't listen to the talking heads on TV or believe when the paper, or blog, says anything about a blown call.

These guys don't know the rules. Yet they have so much fun spouting off about them.

with the illegal touching, it could also be enforced if a member of the kicking team runs out of bounds (ref throws hat) and he is the first player to touch the ball. didn;t see the game, but is what could have happened.

Actually, every time a punting team downs the football, they are guilty of "illegal touching" of the ball. Since it's a common play and there are no yards assessed for that particular penalty, the referee usually just makes the signal for illegal touching and points in the direction of the receiving team signalling first down... not bothering to throw a flag.

Teams that punt the ball at the end of a half or a game are instructed to let the ball die and be blown dead by the ref because if they do an "illegal touch" in that situation, a flag is indeed thrown and it gives the receiving team one more play. This happened in a KC game years ago when Shottenheimer was coaching. Inside the NFL on HBO carried the video of his halftime speech, where he explained to his special teams why the opposing team got to run one more play in the first half.

I guarantee you 75% of the officials and 100% of the announcers don't know this rule.

In College Football. When a team attemps a PAT or Field Goal, why isn't the holder down when he catches the ball?

As far as the 1 point safety in college: If you block a PAT and return it for a "touchdown". your team gets 1 point. The same is true if, on a 2-point conversion, you intercept and return it all the way or recover a fumble and return it all the way. You hardly ever see it, but it's there. I have never heard of this in the NFL. If something like that does happen, the play is blown dead as soon as the non-kicking team recovers/intercepts.

Also, growing up near Detroit, I remember watching the CFL on CBC. I know there used to be rules in the CFL that would get you one or two points on certain kicks/punts. It's been a long time, but I think I remember it had something to do with kicking it into the end zone or having the other team call a fair catch. Anyone know for sure?

The one that I don't understand is the "half the distance to the goal" assessment of a penalty.

Suppose you're on the 16 yard line, take a 15 yard penalty.. you're at your 1 yard line, no?

But if you're at your 14 yard line, take a 15 yard penalty.. you end up at the 7 yard line?

Huh?

I say you put the ball at the 1 yard line, period. If a penalty's going to put you in your own end zone, or in the other team's, the ball should go on the one. Isn't that the rule for defensive pass interference in the end zone?

Illegal touching: If a player goes out of bounds during a play, he cannot be the first person to touch the ball inside the field of play. This is most commonly seen on a punt where the outside gunners get blocked out of bounds, and then continue downfield to down the ball.

The player can legally down the ball if a teammate touches the ball first. For example, #87 gets blocked out of bounds, but continues downfield. #17 stays inbounds, and bats a ball backwards to prevent it from going into the endzone. Since #17 touched the ball first, #87 can now down the ball.

Before this season, this was a 5 yard penalty. That remains for 2007, however if the penalty occurs inside the 5 yard line, the ball is moved out to the 20 yard line.

The rule that you can't advance a fumble in the last two minutes. This came up in the 49ers/Cards game Monday night. Who cares how much time is on the clock?

#5 is really easy guys. Shame on you for that one... 7 people have to be on the line of scrimmage. The last person on the line of scrimmage is always an eligible receiver. So, in order for a TE to be eligible, he has to be on the line of scrimmage and the WR on out from him HAS to be off the line of scrimmage or else the TE becomes an offensive lineman and ineligible receiver. This is what is referred to as "covering." A perfectly legal formation we used to run in high school was to pull a tackle and place him on the other side of the line making 2 tackles on one side of the formation for a more "power" formation. The Guard just has to have a WR or TE on the other side of him on the line of scrimmage and everything is legal.

I don't get holding. In a sport where tackling and blocking are encouraged, why is it so wrong to hold?

The reason the person who fumbled the ball into the endzone can be the only person to recover it to score the TD is to prevent teams from "fumbling" the ball in order to score and win the game. Say its the end of the game and you get tackled 2 yds from the end zone and a teammate is 2 yrds in front of you, if you "fumble" the ball and they pick it up are across the line, you have a TD, though you didn't earn it. Really no different than a forward pass.

I'm sorry if this offends you Mr. Whitaker, but how can you have watched Football for 25 years and not understand the rules. The rules of the pro game are pretty simple. Personally I think that College should use the same rules as the pro game to ease the transition from college to pro. But that having been said, if you have been watching football as long as you say, figuring out who is an eligible receiver should not be that much of a strain on your brain. There are some obscure rules in all sports that can be confusing. But these 5 are not on that list.

AnusJuice.com says: Holding calls confuse me. They need to loosen up on that. Also, instead of 5 yards to be illegally touching - why not extend that to 10 and let them play a little football!

I'm a big fan of the definition of a 'football move'

1. Illegal Touching of the Kick: I think what probably took place is a guy on the coverage team went into the end zone and came back out and touched the ball.

This seems like a sucky rule- I imagine if you stepped into the end zone, and then came back out and then touched the ball, you should be good to go. If you were in the endzone when you touched the ball, it should be a touchback. Illegal Touching should only be a call when you step out of bounds- the end zone is not out of bounds in my opinion.

You really aren't all that adept at football. Those are all pretty common.

MORON:
Encroachment is when a defensive player hits an offensive player before the snap. Offsides if when a def. player in over the line of scrimmage before the snap. a player of def. has the chance to get back onside as long as he doesn't hit anyone and is back before the snap.

if a qb is between the hashes and he doesn't have a receiver he can toss it away to avoid a sack. but if he decides to run with it and get himself into trouble he cannot throw it away to avoid yard losses.

You cannot block the eyes of a receiver in lieu of blocking the ball.

10 Yards is the buffer for ineligible receiver down field. its also the buffer for pass interference.

to all you whiners about the chargers-bears tommy harris non-call, which was a mistake, at least he didn't rupture your QBs ACL with a WWF clothes line horse coller. THAT was a non-call. Whiners, you won the game too. what more do you need?

Someone above asked why only the player who fumbled the ball can recover it during the last 2 minutes. This rule goes back to a play in the 1980s by Ken Stabler and Raiders against the Chargers if I remember right. Stabler fumbled and the ball was knocked and kicked forward (it appeared to be kicked intentionally) and eventually was recovered in the endzone for the winning touchdown. That play resulted in the rule change.

One rule, not really confusing but inconsistent or contradictory, is that when the ball crosses the plane, the ball is ruled in the endzone and it is a touchdown. However, on a punt, when the ball crosses the plane, the ball is not considered in the endzone until it is touched. This adds to the games excitement allowing for the ball to be knocked back out of the endzone and recovered, but it is still an inconsistency.

#1. Illegal touching is when you go out of bounds and then are the first player to touch the ball. If you are pushed out, you are allowed to touch the ball first as long as you make an effort to get back onto the field as soon as possible.

#2. Illegal blocking is when you block a player from the back. It is OK to block from the back if it is obvious the other player knows you're there.

#3. An illegal substitution is when there are more than 11 players in the huddle. This creates an unfair advantage for the offense because the defense doesn't know what kind of formation the offense is going to be in.

#4. The tuck rule states that it is a pass if the quarterback loses the ball in the process of tucking the ball away. However, if the quarterback loses the ball after it is tucked, it is a fumble.

#5. The only eligible receivers are the players off the line of scrimmage and the end players on the line of scrimmage. However, a tackle with no receivers outside of him on the line is not eligible because of his number. Numbers 50-79 are considered lineman numbers, and are usually not eligible. The tackle may become eligible by reporting to the official before the play, which is then relayed to the defense, so they are aware he can go downfield for a pass.

Hope that helps.

You write for SI and didn't know this?

The following is the rule on "Illegal touching." Perhaps it was called on the punt because the receiver called fair catch and then got out of the way and let it go and a Pats player hit it first. (Is that a penalty against the receiver?) The referees probably didn't know what else to call it as this would usually occur on an onside kick. . .

# Illegal touching (5 yards) - Referee signal: one hand held up to shoulder, fingertips touching the shoulder; (NFL) two hands held up to shoulders, fingertips touching the shoulders.

* Of a Forward Pass - a forward pass first touches an ineligible receiver, that is, one of the five members of the interior offensive line. If the ball touches a defender first, any player may touch it, and defenders may freely make contact with receivers.
* Of a Free Kick - the ball, after the free kick, first touches a member of the kicking team prior to traveling 10 yards. This is most often seen on an Onside Kick where a member of the kicking team prematurely comes in contact with the ball in an attempt to recover it. Like Illegal Touching of a Forward Pass, if a defender (member of the receiving team ) first touches the ball, any player may touch it.

If everyone was eligible, if you were 4th and goal on the inches, you could just have your center pick up the ball and fall over, rather than having to hike it.

I hear this all the time: the "football move." To count as a reception, one must catch the ball and the "perform a football move" to demonstrate possession. Just what is a "football move?" Anything that happens on the field during live play is a football move, right up to the center adjusting his gut and farting.

Forward progress also needs to go. If the running back goes all out, gets hammered by the linebacker and rebounds six yards in the other direction, no first down.

One foot inbounds should be enough for a reception.

The ground not causing a fumble. Only in the case of landing in the endzone should this be true (as technically the play is over once you have possession past the plane of the goal line). If you're tackled (or contacted) fall on the ground and out comes mister football, tough luck.

Finally, John Madden's favorite, the uncontested free kick from the spot of a fair-catch punt. I badly want to see this in a real game.

Also, of all the "named" rules, it is amazing how many of them involve the Oakland Raiders. My favorite is the Cliff Branch Rule: A ball that affixes itself to the back of a player's jersey is considered to have copious amounts of adhesive on it and shall not be deemed a legal and fair catch. Those refs always tryin to hold the raidas down.

For those people that are asking about the rules on a forward fumble, as was called in the SF/Arizona game on Monday night, the rule exists because of the "Holy Roller" (aka the "Immaculate Deception", when the Raiders intentionally fumbled the ball forward into the end zone for a touchdown against the Chargers in a 1978 game.

The Holy Roller explained

Ok heres the illegal formation rule put simply....only players behind the line of scrimmage and the outermost players on the line of scrimmage are eligible to receive a pass...


about the cowboys game...the reason they say he was lined up over the tight end, that meant that the tight end wasn't eligible because he wasn't the outtermost man on the line of scrimmage, there was a reciever outside of him

Really a writer for SI.com has never played football....I thought writers were all great athletes...I'm shocked, shocked I tells ya

There's only one thing that confuses me about football.

Why is the clock-killing spike not called intentional grounding?

one rule i've always found confusing is the one that says if a qb gets called for intentional grounding on 3 straight plays, the defense gets to tie him to the goalpost and take turns throwing footballs at his junk. i've never understood why the qb still gets to wear a cup. makes it all kind of pointless.

Here's one from the other Monday night.

If the game clock has less than two minutes and a player fumbles the ball into the opposing team's endzone, and a different member of his team picks up the ball, it is moved back to the spot of the fumble, no touchdown.

The rule about the fumble at the end of the cards game is to prevent a team from simply "fumbling" the ball forward to a teammate as a last ditch effort to score at the end of a game. That is why it says in the last 2 minutes of the game.

This was called some years back, I m not sure how common: During a 'pile up' scramble to retreive a fumble, there are lots of bodies on toop of each other. The ref alled a penalty, that sounded like 'He was giving him the business down there' What's that mean?

2003 Colts vs. Buccaneers on MNF, Warren Sapp was called for "leaping" while attempting to block a game-winning field goal which Vanderjagt ended up missing. After trying again 15 yards closer, he clanked it off the right upright, it went through, and the Colts won.

I am thoroughly entertained by the football fans who are posting anonymous insults in response to asking some questions. If it makes you feel like a man to insult someone for not knowing things that you do, it should make you feel like enough of a man to post your name. I am always amused when I have bigger balls than "manly men."

I've been watching, going to college and pro football games for the past five years. I'm glad I don't have any problems in understanding the rules.

When I watch football on TV with friends, I'm the one who has to interpret all of the rulings on the field.

It's not that hard, when you spend a little bit of time with the game, and are as naturally gifted as I am.

Just in case someone hasn't clarified rule 5. Only persons wearing numbers 0-49 and 80-99 are eligible for receiving the ball and/or going down field in a pass partner during a passing play. If you are to but a number from 50-79 into a position that can be eligible (i.e. Tight End, Fullback, Halfback,...) then they must check in with the referees and the referees will then tell the other team and the official score keeper. The easiest way in the NFL or major college football is to announce to the whole stadium.

An earlier poster mentioned my pet peeve about NFL and increasingly college football - the instant reply challenge, especially when it comes to having a knee down before fumbling or a reciever catching a pass and not making a "football move" in slo-mo. My question is, when is the runner's knee down exactly, when the outermost fiber of the pant leg touches the tip of highest blade of grass (or blade of plastic)? Is that when he is down, or do we have to wait until the outermost piece of fabric touches the top pebble of dirt on the ground? Quite frankly this annoys the s&#t out of me. Same thing with catching the ball - if the reciever has a firm grasp of the ball, but the nose of it touches the first blade of grass it is incomplete? My favorite is a reciever catches a ball, gets two feet down, and as he is falling out of bounds, he makes the smallest adjustment to the ball but it is called complete. And then we have to watch that play over and over again while the announcers say there has to be irrefutable evidence to overturn the original ruling over and over again - only to be overturned anyway because the reciever's pinky finger twitched for half a millisecond. Stupid.

All of these rules are CLEAR. I think we can all agree on that. As with any sport, some of the interpertations of the rules are really the issue.

Apperently the video taping of coaches on the side line is a confusing rule also......at least to BB and the Patriots?

Last year in the Giants/Colts game, there was a penalty called against the Giants called "Crack Back". I still have no idea what that means, but i'm convinced its the NFL's way of keeping the Giants in check.

CFB one point safety:

The way it actually works it, on a PAT if either team scores a touchdown they are awarded 2 points. If either team scores a safety they are awarded 1 point. This happened in the Texas - Texas A&M game a few years ago where a blocked kick was recovered by the defense and then fumbled backwards and re-recovered by the defense in the end zone (a safety for 1 point). The announcers of course had no idea what had happened and had to get some head of officials to come in the booth to explain it. In the NFL the extra point play is dead if the ball is kicked, or if there is a change of possession, but if there is a 2pt conversion attempt then a 1 point safety can theoretically happen (though it never has to my knowledge)

Regarding the post on the CFL and the 5 yard rule on the player receiving a punt or kick. In the CFL the receiver MUST play the ball, there is no fair catch. The reason for the 5 yard rule is to prevent the receiver getting crushed by a tackler who times the receiver catching the ball. So you end up with the scenario of tacklers scrambling to stay 5 yards away on a short punt, which many critics think looks silly. No more silly than 5 tacklers walking a fair catch ball down the field til it stops IMHO.

this article made me think of Sunday afternoons watching football with my parents and my mother always asking about the "unnecessary roughness call"
It was always "it's football, grown men tackle one another, how can they judge what is too rough?"
I know my father tried to explain this a million times to her. Now when I hear that call made I can't help but to laugh and think of mom

i hate 3rd and 20 and a 5 yard penaly occurs against the defense bam automatic 1st down, that really drive me crazy.

There are so many penalties now of days after every play someone is looking for a flag, i can't even enjoy a touchdown catch until 5 seconds after i see no penalties.

The One Point Safety rule did occur in the NFL two or three years ago. Can't remember the game, but the announcers went crazy, having never heard of the rule.

I feel like Underdog here. So here I come my armchair QB brethren, to save the day.

#1 Illegal Touching of the Kick
This is called when a player goes out of bounds, comes back in, and is the first one to touch the ball. If someone else touches the ball after the out-of-bounds player re-establishes himself in the field of play , no penalty.

#2 Illegal Block
A player can come from behind to block the opposing team as long as the contact is not from behind, i.e., the helmet and hands are on the front side of the blockee. I believe it is permissible for one hand to be on the back of the blockee as long as the other hand and helmet of the blocker are on the front side of the blockee. Confused yet? Sorry, but that's the best way I can describe it. And that's how most of the devasting blocks on punt returns happen! The blockee never sees the blocker.

#3 Illegal substitution
I have never seen a defense do this to try to confuse the offense for obvious reasons that I will 'splain later. No, there is too much. I will sum up. . . Twelve guys can not be in the offensive huddle so as not to have an added advantage over the defense. When the offense subs, you will see players run on and off before they are actually in the huddle. In the days before coach to QB communication, a player would have taken the play call into the huddle, but someone had to come off before the incoming player was "in" the huddle.
On the other hand, a defense first of all doesn't really huddle since the calls are not as complicated. Secondly, if a defense has more than eleven in the huddle or on the field, then all the offense would have to do is get to line and snap (without a count for quicker results and the element of surprise) for an easy five yards.

#4 The Tuck Rule
This one is tricky and I believe is misspelled. Sub an F for the T and do it before the huddle! Besides, that's all it does to whatever team I want to win. This one is so subjective that I think if you have 10 refs look at the same play you will be split right down the middle as to which way it will go. The best way to explain this one is that if the arm has started going forward (excluding the empty hand rule) and the ball comes out before it has been, dare I say, securely tucked away, it is ruled an incomplete pass. If the QB does the tuck and the ball comes into the QB's body, then comes out, it's a jailbreak.

#5 Eligible Receivers
The rules are slightly different for this in college since more numbers are considered eligible. In the pros, I think it's 50-79 and 90-99 are considered ineligible receiver numbers. Now it gets a little more complicated when dealing with formations because a TE, WR, RB can be considered ineligible in the wrong formation and flagged if they go out in a pass pattern. This is how the offense can get into trouble by trying to confuse the defense with motion and movement along the line of "covering" and "uncovering." In order to try to keep this explanation long-winded but easy to understand, the last man on each side of the line has to have an eligible number (see above) unless they report in to an official as an eligible receiver (seven men have to be on the line, and these seven men can be no further than 1 yard behind the ball or the line that extends from the ball to the each sideline, to be considered "on the line" although some tackles look at least two yards behind the line especially in shotgun formations).
Likewise, an eligible receiver number is ruled ineligible if they are "covered up" by another eligible receiver. There can not be two eligible receivers on the same side of the line, with both on the line, and both go into pass routes. This gets flagged for illegal formation. One of those receivers would have to be off the line by at least two yards. High school and college players can check with the line judge to make sure they are "off" or "on." Pros are on their own. If you're getting paid loads of money, you better know if your formation is legal or not.
Sometimes you will see two receivers on the same side, one on the line the other off. Then one will back up and the other step forward. This is done to keep the formation legal and allows the one that backed up to go in motion. If the one that moved onto the line goes in motion, then the other needs to move forward to keep an ineligible player from becoming illegally eligible thus creating the illegal formation.

Make any sense?

The worst rule in football makes less sense then any of these rules. If an offensive player fumbles the ball into the other teams endzone and the ball goes out of bounds, the ball is given to the defensive team. Then they spot the ball out to the 20 yard line. Uhh, what? If a player fumbles the ball and it goes out of bounds anywhere else on the field the offensive team keeps the ball. So why does the ball switch teams if it goes out of bounds in the end zone. Makes no sense. And why does the ball go back to the 20. It's not a touchback. The ball should be on the one. Weird rule.

that reminds me...the pats have been cheating ever since that game against the raiders....

Re: Fumbling in the Endzone

The endzone is treated differently than the field of play for some obvious reasons.
As seen in the Bills/Broncos game, it is a penalty for an offensive player to intentionally knock the ball out of bounds in the field of play. In that game, it was actually a very heads-up play because it didn't hurt them (the rule probably should be changed to a spot foul and loss of down).
The reason for the defense getting the ball on their 20 if the offense fumbles into the endzone and it goes out of bounds is because that is a live ball, just like a kickoff. If a kickoff goes out of bounds in the endzone, the receiving team gets the ball on their 20.
If the offense fumbles and it goes out of bounds in their own endzone (or if they step out in the case of a punt), it's a safety.

Some refs explain the rules better than others like Ed "Guns" Hochuli, Johnny Greer, the retired Red Cashion.

Never understood why an offensive team can lose possession of the ball when a ball is fumbled into the endzone and out of bounds. The defense is rewarded with possession at the 20 just as if they had recovered the fumble in the endzone. What did the defense do to get such a reward?

Why not give it to the offense at the point where extra points are kicked or the spot of the fumble (whichever is further).

Confusing rule? No. Stupid rule? Yes - NBA: Call timeout, get the ball at mid-court - why?!

Here's one that seems to defy the rulebook. I don't understand why illegal substitution DOES often get called on the defense when an offense goes No Huddle or Hurry Up. The Colts are the masters of this, and you often hear the announcers say that the offense is intentionally keeping the defense from substituting. But doesn't rule say specifically that you CAN'T snap the ball quickly purely to create the penalty and that you MUST give the defense a reasonable chance to substitute?

these are actually basic football rules if you have ever played...

Are you serious? You claim to have watched that much football and you can't figure out these simple rules?

#1 if a player on the punting team runs out of bounds, that player cannot be the first one to touch the ball. Explain to me why that one is hard to understand.

#2 If an offensive player blocks a defensive player in the back it is a penalty. Bob Davie thinks the rule should be expanded to include more blocks. That is just his opinion.

#3 Once an offensive team goes into the huddle, those are the players involved in the next play. If you attempt to substitute late, it can be an unfair advantage. For example, if you bring in a fourth wide receiver late, the defense does not have time to get another defensive back on the field.

#4 The tuck rule is a bad rule but not hard to understand. If the ball is moving forward in the QBs hand, regardless of his intention to pass or not, and the ball comes out, it is a forward pass.

#5 Are you making a joke? You do not understand what makes a player eligible to recieve a pass? You should no longer be allowed to blog regarding pro sports. This right should be taken from you and you need to do something else with your time.

i can't remember what game but when a play was under review there was a problem viewing the play so the ref had to stay and look at the screen for 5 minutes because of NFL rules.
the ruling on the field stood

I have never understood the half the distance penalties. Is it half the distance of the penalty or half the distance between the line of scrimmage and the goal line? At what point does the half the distancepenalty come into play - 10 yard line, 20 yard line?

I think Belichick got off too easily.
It has been remarked that he is a great coach. If so, why does he need to cheat? Alternately, if he indeed is a cheat as has been proven, how can he be considered a great coach? He is supposed to have three superbowl rings. I wonder how many of them he obtained by cheating. My view is all three. He should have been suspended for at least a year without pay.

Dude, seriously? I never envisioned the day when a writer for SI declared he doesn't know a lot about football. My wife could explain all these rules to you in detail. C'mon man, lets get back to following real sports and lay down the X-games crap.

Illegal touching is just whena player steps out of bounds and then comes back in the field of play, he cannot be the first person to touch the football. That's the way I understand the rule.

Seriously, with a little bit of critical thinking and simple logic you could understand these rules. Let's quit pretending that most people are stupid.

Steve Smith has one more, he plays for the Giants...

"Carolina"? What was a UNC player doing in a Gamecocks game? That's probably why the penalty was called.

Here's a rule for you, Doug Flutie's drop kick that he did a few years back. You can do that at any time. As long as you are the offensive player the furthest from the goal line you may attempt a drop kick. During regular play it is worth 3 points. During the conversion attempt it is worth only 1 point. Now it's not as accurate as the normal field goal attempt but I would love to see a team try it.

Since when a QB fumbles the ball (Vikes vs. Lions Dec 2, 07)Detroit QB loses the ball when his arm is BACK to pass and the opposing team recovers the ball, the ball is given basck to the Lions with only a loss of down?