Welcome to Art of Officiating’s “Weekly Dozen”, comprising plays through October 11, 2025. These videos are from Colorado games, so I’ll reference the Colorado 5-person mechanics manual and Colorado rules interpretations and modifications. Please consult your state’s mechanics manual and rules interpretations if I say something that doesn’t match what you do in your state.
1 – Sometimes we work a fairly straightforward game, and sometimes we work a game with multiple uncommon events. As we’ve mentioned in previous Weekly Dozen videos and Ready for Play articles, we need to be rules experts. Not every play is three yards and a cloud of dust. I’m going to share five consecutive videos from one game that illustrate the need to dig into the rules book. We can’t rely on only the referee to know the rules because we need to properly adjudicate unusual events. With each of the next five videos, we’ll first decide if an action is a foul, and second, determine penalty enforcement if a flag is warranted.
This play was most likely designed to be a middle screen as the offensive linemen immediately move downfield at the snap. As soon as ineligible numbers advance beyond the expanded neutral zone, it is a foul if a forward pass crosses the neutral zone. It appears this play is designed for A7, but he moves beyond the neutral zone, so if this was not a broken play and A4 throws the ball to him, it would be a foul for ineligibles downfield.
Or, less likely, it could have been designed to be a pitch to A6. It appears he is also looking for the ball.
We’ll never know…This is a broken play as A4 muffs the snap, which interrupts the timing of the action.
Under duress, A4 throws the ball forward, and it lands at the line of scrimmage.
One defensible ruling on this play could be that forward progress was halted at the A-39, ending the play. The white hat did not make that ruling.
So let’s talk about an illegal forward pass.
First, if the ball is thrown into an area occupied by an eligible offensive receiver, it is not a foul. There are no eligible offensive receivers in the area.
Second, Table 7-5-2 says it is legal for a player to conserve yardage by intentionally throwing an incomplete forward pass if: the passer has possessed the ball beyond the lateral boundary of the free-blocking zone as established at the snap. This caveat was not satisfied.
Let’s hypothetically say the passer had moved outside the lateral boundary of the free blocking zone before releasing the ball. Then the ball would have to reach the neutral zone to avoid a foul for an illegal forward pass.
But…we have ineligibles downfield, so in our hypothetical scenario, if the passer had been outside the lateral boundary of the free blocking zone, and if the ball had reached the neutral zone, the crew would flag Team A for ineligibles downfield.
This play appeared to be doomed from the time the ball was muffed.
The penalty for an illegal forward pass is five yards from the spot of the foul plus a loss of down. The ball will next be snapped from the A-34 or A-33 (depending on where the referee marked the spot of the pass) with second down on the box.
Notice how the linesman and referee immediately start to approach each other to discuss the pass. The referee can drop a beanbag at the spot of the pass, determine if there were eligible offensive receivers in the area, and then throw a late flag. He has already determined the passer had not moved outside the lateral boundary of the free blocking zone.
2 – Play 2 of 5. I like the referee’s width on this play. But he should be deeper, 12-15 yards from the line of scrimmage. This time the roles are reversed, and the visiting team’s quarterback is under duress. He is hit as he throws the ball. It appears that a Team B player does not touch the ball. If B62 had touched the ball, then all Team A players would be eligible to catch the forward pass. Rule 7-5-6b says all A players become eligible when B touches a legal forward pass.
A52 catches the ball in flight. He hasn’t studied the rules, so he thinks his reception is legal. (And as we’ve observed, if B62 had touched the pass, his reception would be legal.)
We see a flag from the referee at the A-20.
Here are a few observations about mechanics. I don’t see anyone give the stop the clock signal. We don’t have audio with this clip, but I hope the referee gave a good “tweet, tweet, tweet, look at me” whistle. The umpire must officiate to the end of the play. He needs to hustle to the nose of the ball and help players separate, not turn and start walking toward the referee.
The wing drops a beanbag to mark forward progress, because he’ll eventually meet with the referee to talk about the foul and penalty enforcement. The linesman should mark forward progress, dead ball officiate, and then ensure the back judge or line judge takes over his forward progress spot before moving to speak with the referee. I’ve had players pick up a bean bag or a flag and hand it to me.
I’d like to see the back judge in the video. We have players near the sideline, so we need another official to provide proximity.
For penalty enforcement, the foul occurred during a loose ball play, the pass. Rule 10-4-2b applies. As we’ve discussed in previous videos and articles, Rule 10-4-2b is not accurate as written. The caveat “which occurs behind the line of scrimmage” should not be part of this rule. It should say, “the basic spot is the previous spot for a foul which occurs during a loose ball play.” The penalty will be enforced from the previous spot, regardless of A52’s location when he touches the pass.
Rule 7-5-13 PENALTY says the foul for illegal touching is 5 yards plus loss of down.
The foul will be enforced from the A-23, the previous spot, and it will be fourth down.
3 – Play 3 of 5. A4 throws a backward pass to A25. B6 contacts A25 while the ball is in flight.
This cannot be pass interference. Rule 7-5-7 says pass interference restrictions only apply beyond the neutral zone and only if the legal forward pass crosses the neutral zone.
Rule 9-2-3c says a defensive player shall not use his hands or arms to hook, lock, clamp, grasp, encircle or hold in an effort to restrain an opponent other than the runner.
I guarantee coaches and fans will think this contact is a foul, but this is a legal hit on A25. A hit above the shoulders, most likely helmet-to-helmet contact, would be a foul.
4 – This is play 4 of 5 from the same game. Two officials are positioned on each restraining line, so the crew is anticipating an onside kick. Let’s review Rule 2-24-10 before running the clip. A pop-up kick is a free kick in which the kicker drives the ball immediately into the ground, the ball strikes the ground once and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee.
This kick is driven into the ground off the tee, but it doesn’t go into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee. It never gets above head level before taking a high second bounce. This is a perfectly executed and legal onside kick.
We next must evaluate this contact on a Team R player. Rule 9-3-7 says no member of the kicking team shall initiate contact to an opponent on a free kick until, the legal kick has traveled 10 yards and the kicking team is eligible to recover a free-kicked ball. This kick has touched the ground and has traveled 10 yards, so Team K is eligible to recover the kick.
Is the contact legal?
The home team recovered the kick, so after dead-ball officiating, the line judge or umpire should work to get a clean ball onto the field. It helps to brief the ball runner to position him or herself near the umpire for the free kick. The ball runner can then hand the ball directly to the umpire when the ball is dead, instead of handing it to the wing to relay to the umpire.
5 – Here’s the final clip from the game. As we observed during the third clip, pass interference restrictions only apply beyond the neutral zone and only if the legal forward pass crosses the neutral zone. Rule 7-5-8 adds pass interference restrictions on a legal forward pass begin for Team A with the snap. Rule 7-5-10 says 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.
A3 and A13 cannot block B2 and B3 beyond the neutral zone before the ball is caught beyond the neutral zone.
This should be flagged for offensive pass interference. If flagged, this would be a foul during a loose-ball play. Penalty enforcement would be 15 yards from the previous spot with a replay of fourth down.
6 – Let’s now review a couple of clips that illustrate forward progress spots. Rule 2-15-1 says forward progress is the end of advancement of the ball, toward the opponent’s goal, in a runner’s possession.
We need to determine the yard line where the runner’s forward progress was involuntarily halted.
The runner is contacted at the B-46. The line judge marks forward progress at the B-48.
The quarterback is contacted at the A-49 and his downed at the A-45. The linesman is standing at the A-47, but he doesn’t try to communicate with the crew. The referee points to the A-45.
When a runner is contacted and shoved backward, always think “forward progress.” When the quarterback is hit and downed behind the line of scrimmage, he is often driven backward. The referee should keep this in mind and spot the ball where the quarterback was first contacted.
Also, if the opposite wing has a forward progress spot and the covering official incorrectly marks forward progress, the opposite wing should get on the radio, or yell across the field, “forward progress here!” If the covering official is unsure, he should look across the field to see if his partner has a better spot. He can then say to the umpire, “Take his spot.”
7 – Here’s another forward progress clip.
Was the runner’s forward progress involuntarily halted at the A-37 before the ball came out? This is a tough call for the linesman. The Colorado Mechanics manual states, “When in question, the runner was down and did not fumble the ball.”
I’d prefer to rule that the runner’s forward progress was halted before the ball came loose. From the video, it appears the linesman pauses at the A-37 and then walks back to the spot of recovery. He may be unsure about what just happened.
It is okay to kill the play at any time, including if Team B picks up the ball and begins to run. You may have heard the saying, “No cheap turnovers” or “no cheap touchdowns.” When in question, rule the runner’s forward progress was stopped at the A-37.
One more item before we move on.
Let’s focus on the umpire’s eye discipline. Before the snap, the umpire’s keys are the snapper and one or two adjacent linemen. But once he reads run, as in this clip, his eyes must shift to the point of attack—the blocks in front of the runner.
When he reads run, the umpire’s responsibility no longer includes players behind the ball. Those belong to the opposite wing—the official on the backside of the play. The umpire’s priority should be the blockers ahead of the runner.
In this clip, the umpire lingers too long on the players at the original spot of the ball. That’s not where the key action is. The point of attack has shifted downfield, and his focus should move with it.
8 – Before I run this clip, please stick with me as I read a few rules regarding the snapper.
Rule 2-14-2 says a scrimmage kick formation is one in which no player is in position to receive a hand-to-hand snap from between the snapper’s legs, and at the snap, a player is in position with a knee on the ground 7 yards or more behind the line of scrimmage position to be the holder and receive the long snap and with another player 3 yards or less behind that player in position to attempt a place kick.
Rule 2-32-14 says the snapper remains a snapper until he has had a reasonable opportunity to regain his balance and protect himself or until he blocks or moves to otherwise participate in the play.
Rule 9-4-6 says a defensive player shall not charge directly into the snapper when the offensive team is in a scrimmage-kick formation.
In your judgment, does the defensive player charge directly into the snapper? It’s clear he does not. The snapper gets bowled over, but 1) the defender did not charge directly into the snapper, and 2) the defender was blocked into the snapper. We can’t let the very end of the play, the fact that the snapper was knocked over, influence our decision.
I wonder if the umpire knew the rules book wording about charging directly into the snapper. I wonder if he thought it was a foul if the defender simply contacted the snapper.
As we’ve mentioned multiple times, we need to officiate to the end of the play. We still have mixed colors, so the umpire cannot turn away from the players to report his flag. Also, we need a stop the clock signal.
9 – Here’s another try with multiple rules and mechanics components.
Team A is lined up in a non-typical formation. This is not a swinging gate formation as there is no holder and kicker. The wings are correctly on the line of scrimmage, but the umpire should not be under an upright. He should only retreat if Team A shifts to a scrimmage kick formation. He should be at his normal position 4-7 yards from the line of scrimmage. The Colorado mechanics manual says the referee should adjust his position when the game situation dictates a change. In this case, the referee positions himself in the most advantageous position to view his presnap key and respond to player movement.
This is not a scrimmage kick formation, so Team A is not afforded a numbering exception. There must be at least five players on the line of scrimmage numbered 50-79. The snapper has an eligible number, but he is ineligible by position as he is not at the end of the line of scrimmage.
The linemen are not in the free blocking zone, so they cannot block below the waist, and their opponents may not block below the waist.
Rule 2-40-2 says the snap movement must be a quick and continuous backward motion of the ball.
So let’s evaluate the snap. Is it a quick and continuous backward motion, or does the snapper lift the ball and then pass the ball backward in two motions?
It appears this is two motions, so this should be flagged as a snap infraction. This is why the umpire should not be 15 yards away from the ball. He should be 4-7 yards away and laser-focused on the snap motion.
10 – As we mentioned earlier, it is forward pass interference if any player of B interferes with an eligible opponent’s opportunity to move toward, catch, or bat the pass. The Rules Book does not clearly state what constitutes interfering with the opponent. These pass interference “categories” are not expressly in the Rules Book, but they provide clarity when describing why the official should throw a flag or elect to pass on a foul: Early contact not playing the ball, Playing through the receiver, Cut off, Arm bar, Hook and turn, and Grab and restrict.
Let’s look at two matchups that were flagged for defensive pass interference.
Do you see any of the pass interference indicators—such as early contact, playing through the receiver, grabbing an arm, restricting movement, or not playing the ball?
In my opinion, unless there’s illegal personal contact, we need to pass on “bang-bang” plays where the defender and the ball arrive almost simultaneously. Pass interference needs to scream. Unless it’s clear and obvious, keep the flag in your pocket.
11 – We don’t often discuss the back judge position, so let’s look at a few clips that highlight back judge movement near the goal line.
The ball is snapped from the B-15, so the back judge is positioned halfway(ish) between the goal line and the end line and he must be prepared to rule on both money lines. The formation is balanced, so the back judge’s passing play initial responsibility is A14. He incorrectly initially focused on the linesman’s keys.
He does turn and look toward A5 and A14 as they cross and approach the goal line.
This one’s tricky. A14 runs close to the end line while A5 settles near the goal line. It’s easy to look at the outcome and say, “The back judge should have moved to the goal line!”—but that’s not entirely fair.
The quarterback had two legitimate targets: one at the goal line and one near the end line. If he had thrown to the back of the end zone instead, we could just as easily say, “The back judge should have backed up to the end line!” That’s the reality—and the limitation—of working with only five officials.
In this play, the receiver at the goal line catches the pass while on his knees. The question becomes: where is the ball when it becomes dead by rule? In this case, the back judge had to make his best judgment and ruled touchdown.
The ball is snapped at the B-12, so the back judge starts halfway between the goal line and the end line.
Because this is a running play, he doesn’t have to choose between the two lines—but he does need to immediately advance to the goal line while keeping his eyes on the blocks ahead of the runner.
He gets to the goal line before the ball arrives, and now he’s in a perfect position to make a decision regarding the ball’s location when it comes loose. He’s earned the right to confidently rule on a touchdown or a fumble. When players or coaches question the ruling, proper positioning is paramount. The back judge was exactly where he needed to be—and that added to his credibility.
12 – We’ll address three of the officiating positions in this final clip. Let’s start with the umpire’s flag. The left tackle and right end lock up, and both have a handful of jersey. B52 pulls first, and drags A74 to the turf. A74 then pulls B52 to the ground, and the umpire throws a flag. It appears the holding was mutual, and neither side gained an advantage. So maybe we pass on throwing a flag. However, one might argue that we witnessed two takedowns and that we need to flag that action. That’s a valid point. The umpire reported only a hold on A74. I think he may not have observed the first pull to the ground by B52.
Now let’s talk about the line judge’s eye discipline, movement, and ruling. As soon as A7 catches the ball, the line judge must shift his focus to the block ahead of the runner. He continues to look at A7 while he is in the open with no defender nearby. There is no need to look at A7; unless he slips on a banana peel, he is in no danger. Even though the runner is now the line judge’s responsibility, he must look at the block ahead.
A7 loses the ball at the B-38, and a scramble ensues. Great job by the line judge to toss a beanbag.
Any time the ball is loose near the sideline, the covering official must determine if any player touching the ball is also touching the sideline. If that happens, the ball is immediately dead.
Let’s now discuss the back judge. The back judge correctly closes down on the players, but he is looking at the pile instead of at the players near and moving to the pile. A65 delivers an unnecessary blow, which is missed. Keep those wide eyes and look for colors going against the flow and colors going faster than everyone else, especially behind a pile at the sideline.
Back to the umpire. I sound like a broken record, but we need to officiate to the end of the play before thinking about reporting a flag to the referee. Instead of walking, the umpire should be hustling to the pile to help the players separate. He turns his head to the referee while players from each team are in close proximity and while the line judge is digging in the pile.
That’s your weekly dozen for games through October 11, 2025. Thanks for watching!