When is a player defenseless?
- Thread starter DinwiddieProud
- Start date
Straight from the Rules Book, Rule 2-32-16, if you're scoring at home.
ART. 16 . . . A defenseless player is a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury. A player who initiates contact against a defenseless player is responsible for making legal contact. When in question, a player is defenseless.
Examples of defenseless players include, but are not limited to:
a. A passer;
b. A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner;
c. The intended receiver of a pass in the action during and immediately following an interception or potential interception;
d. A runner already in the grasp of a tackler and whose forward progress has been stopped;
e. A kickoff or punt returner attempting to catch or recover a kick, or one who has completed a catch or recovery and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a runner;
f. A player on the ground including a runner who has obviously given himself up and is sliding feet-first;
g. A player obviously out of the play or not in the immediate vicinity of the runner; and
h. A player who receives a blindside block with forceful contact not initiated with open hands.
Being defenseless does not mean the player can't be touched. It doesn't even mean the player can't be hit (in most cases), but the defenseless player cannot be hit forcefully or unnecessarily. Basically, the player cannot be hit high and the big, blow-up hits are going to be flagged.
A passer is defenseless until the pass ends or he moves to participate in the play. What am I, as a referee, looking for? A rusher who is playing football and makes a clean hit that's just after a throw is going to be OK. The rusher wants to sack the QB and almost did. But a rusher who comes in high, late enough that he can watch the passer's arm -- and yes I do look at the rusher's eyes -- and still delivers a hit is going to be flagged. Basically, if you can avoid the hit, you must avoid the hit.
Players 20 yards behind the play just moving down the field cannot be lined up and drilled. This is nothing but a violent form of showboating. It's not making a real football play. No one needs to block a tackler 30 yards behind a play. If both guys are still battling each other, then it's different, but in that case no one is defenseless.
Hope that helps.
ART. 16 . . . A defenseless player is a player who, because of his physical position and focus of concentration, is especially vulnerable to injury. A player who initiates contact against a defenseless player is responsible for making legal contact. When in question, a player is defenseless.
Examples of defenseless players include, but are not limited to:
a. A passer;
b. A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner;
c. The intended receiver of a pass in the action during and immediately following an interception or potential interception;
d. A runner already in the grasp of a tackler and whose forward progress has been stopped;
e. A kickoff or punt returner attempting to catch or recover a kick, or one who has completed a catch or recovery and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a runner;
f. A player on the ground including a runner who has obviously given himself up and is sliding feet-first;
g. A player obviously out of the play or not in the immediate vicinity of the runner; and
h. A player who receives a blindside block with forceful contact not initiated with open hands.
Being defenseless does not mean the player can't be touched. It doesn't even mean the player can't be hit (in most cases), but the defenseless player cannot be hit forcefully or unnecessarily. Basically, the player cannot be hit high and the big, blow-up hits are going to be flagged.
A passer is defenseless until the pass ends or he moves to participate in the play. What am I, as a referee, looking for? A rusher who is playing football and makes a clean hit that's just after a throw is going to be OK. The rusher wants to sack the QB and almost did. But a rusher who comes in high, late enough that he can watch the passer's arm -- and yes I do look at the rusher's eyes -- and still delivers a hit is going to be flagged. Basically, if you can avoid the hit, you must avoid the hit.
Players 20 yards behind the play just moving down the field cannot be lined up and drilled. This is nothing but a violent form of showboating. It's not making a real football play. No one needs to block a tackler 30 yards behind a play. If both guys are still battling each other, then it's different, but in that case no one is defenseless.
Hope that helps.
Yes it does indeed.
I saw a play last week that I thought might have been on a defenseless player. I'm still not sure, but only because it happened so quick and my focus was elsewhere. But at least now I can judge objectively instead of emotionally. Thank you.
I saw a play last week that I thought might have been on a defenseless player. I'm still not sure, but only because it happened so quick and my focus was elsewhere. But at least now I can judge objectively instead of emotionally. Thank you.
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