G G Dumbref

G G Dumbref State Football Camp Dothan, Alabama Aug 12-15, 2010 Mechanics Session Passing Game

G G Dumbref Legal and Illegal Forward Passes

G G Dumbref Legal Forward Pass  During a scrimmage down and before team possession has changed  Both feet of the passer in or behind the neutral zone  Only one forward pass may be thrown during a down Illegal Forward Pass  After team possession has changed during a down (5 yds End of Run)  From beyond the neutral zone (5 yds Loss of Down EOR)  Intentionally thrown into an area not occupied by an eligible receiver (5 yds LOD EOR)  Intentionally thrown incomplete to save loss of yardage or to conserve time (5 yds LOD EOR) Exception: After receiving a direct hand to hand snap a pass immediately thrown to the ground is not illegal  A second or subsequent pass thrown during a down (5 yds LOD EOR)

G G Dumbref  During a scrimmage down and before team possession has changed After team possession changes any official may be in a position to determine legality of passes  Both feet of the passer in or behind the neutral zone Location of the passers feet would not be SJ FJ BJ responsibility  Only one forward pass may be thrown during a down Generally the second forward pass would be determined by an official other than the SJ FJ BJ  Intentionally thrown into an area not occupied by an eligible receiver SJ FJ BJ will aid in determining the proximity of eligible receivers but will not be able to determine whether pass was intentionally thrown or if passer was hit causing an errant pass  Intentionally thrown incomplete to save loss of yardage or to conserve time SJ FJ BJ will aid in determining the location of pass but will generally be unable to determine intent of the passer

G G Dumbref Backward Pass

G G Dumbref Backward pass  Backward pass is a pass thrown with its initial direction parallel with or toward the runners goal line  A backward pass ends when it is caught or recovered or it is out of bounds  During a down any player in possession may make a backward pass  Any player may catch a backward pass and advance  The ball will belong to the passing team if a backward pass: Goes out of bounds between the goal line Becomes dead inbounds while no player is in possession Becomes dead inbounds while opponents are in joint possession  If a backward pass is out of bounds behind a goal line the ball belongs to the team defending that goal and the result is either a touchback or a safety

G G Dumbref Backward pass  Initial direction parallel with or toward the runners goal line SJ FJ BJ might determine direction on a backward pass following a punt  A backward pass ends when it is caught or recovered or it is out of bounds All officials should be aware and prepared to rule on this possibility  During a down any player in possession may make a backward pass SJ FJ BJ should be aware of this following a pass, long run or punt  If a backward pass is out of bounds behind a goal line the ball belongs to the team defending that goal and the result is either a touchback or a safety If SJ FJ BJ is the covering official he must be aware of the force that put the ball in the end zone

G G Dumbref Pass Eligibility Rules

G G Dumbref Pass Eligibility  Pass eligibility rules apply only to a legal forward pass  All A players eligible by position and number include those who, at the time of the snap, are on the ends of their scrimmage line or legally behind the line (possible total of six) and are numbered 1-49 or  All A players become eligible when B touches a legal forward pass  All B players are eligible  Player who is eligible at the start of the down remains eligible throughout the down  Ineligible downfield (5 yds Previous spot)

G G Dumbref L R LJ U BJ = Eligible Receivers SJ FJ

G G Dumbref L R LJ U SJ = Eligible Receivers 42 Not a Scrimmage Kick Formation Umpire flags illegal numbering at the snap (5 yds) Ineligible Receiver enters under numbering exception ? 42 BJ FJ

G G Dumbref Blocking Rule

G G Dumbref Blocking Rule  Blocking below the waist is making initial contact below the waist from the front or side against an opponent other than a runner Blocking below the waist applies only when the opponent has one or both feet on the ground (15 yds)  Butt blocking is a technique involving a blow driven directly into an opponent with the face mask, frontal area or top of the helmet as the primary point of contact either in close line play or in the open field (15 yds)  Spearing is the use of the helmet in an attempt to punish an opponent (15 yds)  Clipping is a block against an opponent when the initial contact is from behind, at or below the waist, and not against a player who is a runner or pretending to be a runner (15 yds)

G G Dumbref Blocking Rule  Blocking in the back is a block against an opponent when the initial contact is in the opponent's back, inside the shoulders and below the helmet and above the waist, and not against a player who is a runner or pretending to be one (10 yds)  Such cases shall not be ruled clipping and/or blocking in the back unless the official sees the initial contact. When in doubt, the contact is legal and not from behind. When the contact is ruled to be from behind, and the official has question as to the initial point of contact, it shall be ruled clipping

G G Dumbref BJ SJ FJ Man Zone Man

G G Dumbref Introduction: “Man – Zone – Man” officiating describes the orderly sequence of keys, reads and responsibilities for the Linesman, Line Judge, Side Judge, Field Judge and Back Judge prior to and during pass plays. This approach insures that an official is observing each eligible primary receiver and then defines when responsibility changes should occur during the play. Since there are six eligible receivers and only three to five officials with pass coverage responsibility in five, six and seven man mechanics, one or more official may be responsible for multiple receivers. Establishing the best possible position for the Back Judge is paramount to this philosophy

G G Dumbref Pre-snap: Man Coverage - responsible for specific receivers Play develops: Zone Coverage - responsible for an area of the field Pass thrown: Man Coverage - assign covering official(s)

G G Dumbref Communication is essential in every aspect of officiating. Eye contact acknowledgement between the BJ and SJ FJ or L LJ receiving his support, much like that used at the intersection of the goal line and sideline, is the best form of communication and is encouraged. But, with the many pre-snap duties already assigned to each official and the snap imminent, this may not be possible. Eye contact should not take precedence over the other pre-snap duties. Therefore, the simple movement of the BJ declaring his support to one side of the formation becomes a critical form of communication. During your pre-snap routine, position yourself so that this movement will be noticeable to the SJ FJ or L LJ in their peripheral vision.

G G Dumbref Pass Interference

G G Dumbref Pass Interference  It is forward pass interference if: Any player of A or B who is beyond the neutral zone interferes with an eligible opponent's opportunity to move toward, catch or bat the pass Any player hinders an opponent's vision without making an attempt to catch, intercept or bat the ball, even though no contact was made 15 yards and automatic first down if by B 15 yards and loss of down if by A Additional 15 yards if intentional  It is not forward pass interference if: Unavoidable contact occurs when two or more eligibles are making a simultaneous, bona fide attempt to move toward, catch or bat the pass Contact by A is immediately made on a B lineman and the contact does not continue beyond the expanded neutral zone Contact by B is obviously away from the direction of the pass You might have defensive holding

G G Dumbref BJ SJ FJ Keys and Reads

G G Dumbref BJ BJ – Position  Basic position is 15 – 20 yards deep  Shade to your receiver’s side L LJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref SJ - FJ – Position  15 – 20 yards deep  Split difference between sideline and widest receiver L LJ 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref BJ BJ – SJ – FJ Position  SJ FJ Sideline 15 – 20 yards deep  BJ 20 – 25 yards deep (5 yds behind SJ FJ) L LJ 7 Man FJ SJ

G G Dumbref BJ BJ – Keys  Coordinates keys with L and LJ  Keys determined by the formation L LJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref BJ BJ – Responsibilities  Recognize even and odd receiver formations  On odd formations, BJ is responsible for second receiver in on two receiver side L LJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref BJ BJ – Responsibilities  Recognize even and odd receiver formations  On even formations, BJ is responsible for second receiver on the wide side of the field or LJ side if the ball is in the middle of field LJ L 5 Man

G G Dumbref SJ FJ – Keys  Coordinates keys with L and LJ  Keys determined by the formation L LJ 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref SJ FJ – Responsibilities  SJ - FJ are responsible for outside receiver on their side  L – LJ are responsible for the next two receivers on their side L LJ 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L 6 Man SJ FJ Responsibilities  L – LJ Coverage for action 7 – 10 yards downfield from LOS. Transfer coverage to SJ FJ and continue to officiate sideline. Do not overrun downfield officials.

G G Dumbref L LJ 7 Man BJ FJ SJ BJ – SJ - FJ – Keys  BJ Coordinates keys with SJ FJ  Keys determined by the formation

G G Dumbref BJ – SJ - FJ – Responsibilities  BJ – Determine and move to strength. Even or odd. BJ may also open to strength  On odd formations, BJ is responsible for second receiver in on strong or two receiver side. SJ and FJ have outside receiver on their side L LJ 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L 7 Man BJ FJ SJ BJ – SJ - FJ – Responsibilities  BJ – Also responsible for 1 st man in motion until he becomes the widest receiver  On even formations, BJ is responsible for second receiver on wide or FJ side. SJ and FJ have outside receivers on their side

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref Keys On Different Formations

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ Primary Secondary 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ Primary Secondary 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ Primary Secondary 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ Primary Secondary 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ Primary Secondary 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ Primary Secondary 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ Primary Secondary 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref Key Changes On Motion Plays

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U BJ 5 Man

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 6 Man SJ FJ

G G Dumbref LJ L R U 7 Man BJ FJ SJ

G G Dumbref THE END