Author Topic: 2018 play clock before a kickoff  (Read 2610 times)

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Offline Morningrise

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2018 play clock before a kickoff
« on: March 19, 2018, 04:11:15 PM »
Where in 2018 is the language that tells us to set the play clock at 25 for the kickoff following a try? I think the 2018 rule change proposal eliminates it.

Rule 3-2-4-c, from the CFO 2018 rules change proposals:
Quote
If the officials signal the game clock to be stopped for any of the following reasons, the referee shall signal (one open palm in an over-the-head pumping motion) that the clock should be set at 25 seconds:
1. Penalty administration.
2. Charged team timeout.
3. Media timeout.
4. Injury timeout for a player of the offensive team only. The play clock is set to 40 seconds for an injury to a player
of the defensive team.
5. Measurement.
6. Team B is awarded a first down.
**Pending Approval by PROP on April 13**
7. After a kick down other than a free kick.
8. Score, other than a touchdown.
9. Start of each period.
10. Start of a team’s possession series in an extra period.
11. Instant replay review.
12. Other administrative stoppage.
13. An offensive team player’s helmet comes completely off through play. The play clock is set to 40 seconds if the
helmet comes completely off a player of the defensive team.

Suppose touchdown is scored on an ordinary 1st-and-goal running play. The game clock stops for one reason only, for a touchdown. Nothing in 3-2-4-c applies, so we set the PC to 40 and start it immediately.

Now the try happens. It's a failed two-point conversion - the quarterback gets sacked. No kick takes place during the try.

Looking at 3-2-4c again, at the end of the try, I again see nothing that applies, nothing that says we should set the PC to 25 for the kickoff. (barring a foul, or a TV commercial break, etc.)

So does that means setting it to 40 and starting it?

Of course, the KO and KOR teams (and officials) will never be ready to play in that amount of time. We would end up resetting the PC to 25 anyway. But it seems like the rules ought to explicitly put it at 25, perhaps by adding "14. A try down ends." to the list in 3-2-4-c.

Offline ElvisLives

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Re: 2018 play clock before a kickoff
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2018, 04:58:14 PM »
You've discovered a glitch in the rules.  Even for 2017 (and before), the rule doesn't tell us to set the play clock to 25 following a Try (or, more directly, for a free kick).

This is another situation where John Adams would have written the rules to tell us when to use the 40-second play clock, and just said to use the 25-second clock in all other situations.  That would have fixed the glitch, Milton.

Bob & Bob

(Has anybody seen my red Swingline?)

Offline Kalle

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Re: 2018 play clock before a kickoff
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2018, 01:05:34 AM »
Didn't we discuss this earlier in the rules change thread? It really looks like the rules makers want the interval between the try and the next free kick to be 40 seconds...

Offline ElvisLives

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Re: 2018 play clock before a kickoff
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2018, 07:20:09 AM »
Didn't we discuss this earlier in the rules change thread? It really looks like the rules makers want the interval between the try and the next free kick to be 40 seconds...

Kalle,

I don't think so.  The new rule only addresses the period between a 6-point TD and the Try, and between the end of a Free Kick down and the succeeding scrimmage play.  The interval between the Try and the succeeding kickoff is not affected by the new rule (at least not yet), so that ready-for-play interval remains at 25 seconds, and begins on the Referee's signal.

I haven't seen anything to that would affect the interval between a Try and the succeeding kickoff.

Robert

Offline Kalle

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Re: 2018 play clock before a kickoff
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2018, 10:01:56 AM »
I haven't seen anything to that would affect the interval between a Try and the succeeding kickoff.

You're right (as usual), I just re-read the original article.

But, isn't this something that has been in the rules already? If a two-point try fails, there is no score and no kick, so the 2017 rules would indicate to start a 40s play clock when the ball becomes dead (unless media takes a timeout).

Offline ElvisLives

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Re: 2018 play clock before a kickoff
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2018, 11:51:49 AM »
But, isn't this something that has been in the rules already? If a two-point try fails, there is no score and no kick, so the 2017 rules would indicate to start a 40s play clock when the ball becomes dead (unless media takes a timeout).

Kalle,
That is a 'gap' in the rules, to date, and is exactly the issue that Morningrise has raised.  No, the ready-for-play interval for a free kick has been 25 seconds, even though the current rules, as we have discovered, don't really address this interval.  I suspect this will filter back to Shaw (and Redding?), and they will provide an editorial change to state that the ready-for-play interval for a free kick is 25 seconds.  As Morningrise stated, to simply add item "14. After a Try down." would be a very easy fix.

I'm sure you know this, but for anyone that may not know, until now, the 40-second interval has only been intended for regular scrimmage play, with the primary purpose of eliminating the inconsistency that was inherent with the previous 25-second interval that began when the R sounded his whistle and signaled (chop or wind) that the ball was ready for play.  Some Rs were very quick at declaring the ball ready, while others took more time. Although the average time was probably around 10 seconds from dead-ball to RFP, some Rs would take 15 or more seconds, and that inconsistency was determined to be unacceptable.  The solution - and a good one, IMHO - was to have a 40-second interval that started when the previous scrimmage play was over (in the absence of some reason to interrupt the game).  But, again, the 40-seconds was reserved for regular scrimmage play.  It did not apply to the RFP interval for free kicks, Tries, or either team putting the ball in play after a legal kick down.

Now, in an effort to reduce total game time, the rules makers are trying to squeeze a few seconds here and there by having a 40-second interval after TDs and after free kicks.  IMHO, this will have little noticeable effect, unless the crews really, really, hustle to get the ball ready for the Try, and for the scrimmage play after a free kick.  My guess is that coordinators will 'push' their crews to make this work, and they will.  But, even then, I calculate only about 6 minutes of saved time, at best, in an 8 TD game, and even then, only if there are no TV breaks associated with these events.  Maybe that's enough.  I don't know.  But, if they are looking to reduce total game time to 3 hours, they are a long way from that.
Robert