Free Kick Play

[TexDoc]

Comments?  How about the guy behind the huddle? 

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2229907-texas-high-school-football-team-fools-opponent-with-tricky-onside-kick?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming-national?is_shared=true

[TxJim]

If one player is more than five yards behind the restraining line and any other player kicks the ball, it is a foul.

[Kalle]

Yup, I have at least one non-kicker being more than five yards behind the restraining line after RFP. Five yards, rekick.

I wouldn't call the player at the sideline as an illegal hideout, it is the responsibility of the defense to keep track of players in this case (he doesn't leave the huddle, he just doesn't rejoin a new huddle).

[centexsports]

What if #12 white (the closest R player to the ball) put up a fair catch signal as he was running over to the ball (before K catches it). 

[Kalle]

Doesn't matter if he does or doesn't, as he is not interfered with by the A player catching the kick. If A interferes, it is KCI with or without the fair catch signal.

[TXMike]

If you judge the Team B player was attempting to catch the kick and could have done so, then the action by Team A to prevent that (him catching the ball)  is KCI.  Sure looks like the Team B  player is running hard to the ball to me.

[goodgrr]

Sure looks like the Team B  player is running hard to the ball to me.

I'm not so sure about that Mike.  Looking at the view from behind the posts the guy looks like he's setting up to tackle not running in to catch.  Still got the issue of the guy behind the huddle though.

[TXMike]

Had not seen the end zone shot before.  That does call in question whether either of those 2 Team B guys were trying to get to the ball .  Hard for me to judge from the camera view if either of them really had a shot to get to it.  Would like to see from ground level at game speed

[clearwall]

Thoughts on this...the intent of the 5-yard rule on free kicks was to prevent the kicking team player from getting a running start down the field. In this play, everyone stops and only the one player runs downfield. It's pretty borderline, to me, that he's behind the line anyway. Probably is, but its REALLY close. However, the problem I have is that all trick plays you basically have to follow every single rule perfectly without question or it is a foul.

[DallasLJ]

This week's Dallas training tape lead with this play.  Training tape says (and I agree) no KCI, but yes this was an illegal formation.  Need flags from U and B there.

[clearwall]

I think I might have met the coach who came up with this play. He's one of the coaches for one of the MS that feed into Hebron. I was on their sideline and was helping them out(because who the heck wants to throw flags in a MS game?) I would say, "Hey coach, try to get player X back for me, he's borderline..." stuff like that. I guess this made them feel like they could ask me a bunch of 'what-if' stuff during the breaks which is fine. But this one coach came up with all these weird kickoff scenarios and referred to this play in particular. I told him exactly what we've been saying on this thread...that should have been a penalty and here is why. It was interesting

[Jugster]

Same play other side of field at a lower angle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_QrZk6tIww
My comments from another thread on another forum

First thing I notice is that #8 is within the 9 yard mark so no foul there.
When they bring the players together it looks like #3 was about a half yard behind the 35. If you look at 8 seconds into the video you will see that #3 steps backward and then goes forward. So he is maybe a total of a yard behind the line. I am not saying that this couldn't be called but most wouldn't.
10 seconds in to the video is the kick and can see the feet of #8 at top of screen. He is clearly onside. No foul

What annoys me the most is that the BJ doesn't seem to know what is going on. 12 seconds into the video the ball is caught and controlled by team A. 15 seconds he reaches for a bean bag or flag while finger whistle to mouth after player is down (didn't drop either flag or bag). Then at 18 seconds he is finally killing the play. He never signals who's ball it is in the video

[Welpe]

Thanks for posting that. It confirms that the formation was not legal as I suspected.

[TxCoach]

What exactly makes this an illegal formation?

[copedaddy]

read the second post

[TxCoach]

I read the thread in full before I posted.  I still don't understand.  What exactly is the restraining line?  When the ball is kicked, I don't see anyone more than 5 yards behind the ball. 

[Kalle]

I read the thread in full before I posted.  I still don't understand.  What exactly is the restraining line?  When the ball is kicked, I don't see anyone more than 5 yards behind the ball.

The rule specifies that the team A players must be within five yards from the ready for play to the kick.

[TxCoach]

Right.  As I understand it, all players were within five yards at the RFP, and then spread out.  Then, 10 of the 11 came back in for the huddle formation.  What I'm not sure of is why this is an illegal formation.  I believe, based on the posts, that it is.  I just can't figure out what exactly is the restraining line, and which player is more than 5 yards behind it when the ball is kicked.

[TxSkyBolt]

It's not within 5 yards of the restraining line at the time of the kick, it's at ALL times after the RFP.  Normally not a call we'd make, but with trickeration, a team must not deviate from the letter of the law.


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