TTJ
New Fish
The most controversial of the rules changes is that when a player is flagged for targeting and initiating with the crown of the helmet or targeting a defenseless player, the offender will be ejected.
“The rules in of themselves are unchanged, however the penalties have changed,” he said. “If a player is flagged for either one of those fouls, it requires an automatic ejection. If the player is flagged during the first half, then he must sit out the remainder of the game. If the foul occurs during the second half, he must sit out the first half of the next game. Those fouls are automatically reviewed by replay officials. If the call is overturned, the player can be reinstated, but the 15-yard penalty still stands.”
The crown of the helmet is specifically defined as the very top of the helmet. It is legal to hit with any other part of the helmet including the facemask.
Targeting a defenseless player is a little more cut and dried because there are nine types of players that can’t be hit above the shoulders at any point during the game.
Those nine players are: a player in the act of passing; a receiver attempting to catch a pass prior to controlling the ball and making a football move; a kicker in the act of kicking during a kick or return; a returner attempting to catch or return a kick prior to controlling the ball and making a football move; a player obviously out of bounds; a player who receives a blindside block, a ball carrier in the grasp of another player; and, a quarterback anytime after a change of possession.
When determining whether or not a player was targeting another player, Rhoads said there are several keys that he instructs his officials to look for.
“Here is what we look for,” he said. “Did the player leave his feet in an upward thrust? Did he crouch preceding the upward thrust? Did he lead with the helmet, forearm, fist, hand or elbow? Did he lower his head before attacking in order to initiate with the crown?”
An illegal crack-back block is a block below the waist. Players outside the tackle box (more than seven yards out) or a player in motion cannot block another player below the waist until after the ball is snapped and significant time has run off the clock. After time has run off the clock, any player may be blocked below the waist as long as the blocking player is in front of the player being blocked or is within a 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock zone.
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