Week 9 Notes

Defensive Low Blocks

• Blocking below the waist is legal by offensive and defensive players as long as:
  • The blocker (offensive or defensive) is on the line of scrimmage at the snap.
  • The player being blocked is in the free blocking zone at the snap. (The free blocking zone is 4 yards to either side of the spot of the snap and 3 yards in front and back of the snap. This is a 6 yard by 8 yard rectangle.)
  • The ball must be in the free blocking zone when the block is made.
• This means that fullbacks and linebackers may never block below the waist.
• Defensive ends are suspect at the start because they might be lined up outside the free blocking zone.
• The free blocking zone disintegrates once the ball leaves the free blocking zone. At this point, no player may block below the waist.
• If the player being blocked is able to ward off the blocker with his hands prior to contact below the waist, there is no foul.
• Okay, here’s the bottom line. This is a player safety issue. Knees are being blown out ending a kid’s season and sometimes other sports he planned on participating in.
  • When in doubt whether or not the player is in the zone at the snap, the player is out of the zone.
  • When in doubt whether the ball left the zone or not, the ball left the zone.
  • When in doubt whether the player being blocked contacted the blocker with his hands prior to the low block or not, it is a foul for illegal block below the waist.
• (Rule 2-17, page 26) (Case Book 2.17, pages 12 & 13)

Trick Plays

• We have seen teams use trick plays where a player will go in motion toward their team box and yell something like “Where is the tee” or “We only have 10 guys” in order to confuse the defense into thinking that the snap is not imminent. This type of play was declared illegal a number of years ago. Use of this type of play will result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, (Case Book, page 78, 9.9.3 Situation B)

Officials

• There were four versions of the Classification Exam handed out. The 50 questions were the same but in different orders. The “Test Results” sent to you matches your missed question to the answer key on our website. Go to www.ocfoa.org then click “2006 Instructional Program/Quizzes”. You will find the 2006 Classification Exam answer key there.