Rules

Rule 2-41-10 says, “The succeeding spot is where the ball would next be snapped or free-kicked if a foul had not occurred. When a foul occurs during a down in which a…

In the previous Ready for Play article, we examined Rule 10-4-2 (previous spot enforcement). In Rules 10-4-2d through 10-4-2g, we discovered that penalty enforcement is from the previous spot when the foul…

Four 2023 “previous spot” penalty enforcement modifications were among the most significant Rule 10-4 changes. Before 2023, if a Team A player was flagged for holding behind the line of scrimmage, the…

Rule 2-16-2h defines a Post Scrimmage Kick foul as “as a foul by R (other than an illegal substitution or illegal participation foul that occurs at the snap) when the foul occurs:…

In the previous Ready for Play article, we defined “Basic Spot” and identified seven basic spot possibilities: If you’ve officiated for more than 2 years, you’ll recall the “All but One” principle.…

Penalty enforcement can sometimes be overwhelming. When explaining penalty enforcement tenets, we sometimes take too big a bite and examine too many components in one sitting. In the next few articles, we’ll…

In 2007, two California high school football coaches developed the “A-11 offense,” which exploited a Rules Book loophole regarding the scrimmage kick formation. On each down, up to 10 Team A players…

Comprehending the “why” behind a rule is often helpful when studying the Rules Book. It’s hard to memorize every word in the Book, so understanding why the rule exists may help us…