New Blocking Below the Waist Rule

[TXMike]

Maybe I am misreading or maybe what is written is not what was intended. 

A. Before a change of team possession any Team A player who is beyond the neutral
zone may not block below the waist toward his own goal line. When in question the
block is directed toward his goal line.


Play:  1st and 10 at the 50. Slot receiver A22 goes 5 yards downfield and then reverses field, coming back towards the line of scrimmage.   Team A is sweeping to A22's side of field.   A22 goes low and at the B47 blocks below the waist and at the side against B33, with force of block being towards the A's own goal line.  Foul, right?

But if the same block is BEHIND the neutral zone (i.e. the A 47), no foul?

[mishatx]

No foul, as long as the block is toward his adjacent sideline.  I think. I'm still confused as to what the new rule actually will say.

[Hondo]

I've got a foul here.

B-3-D states
D. Outside this area a restricted player may not block below the waist in a direction away from his adjacent sideline. He may block below the waist along the northsouth line or toward his adjacent sideline (subject to the restrictions in Paragraph A).

Part A of new rule (as far as what we've seen), makes it illegal for ANYONE to block back toward his own HL once he is beyond from the NZ.

[ABoselli]

I guess 'north-south' means only 'north' now.

[British Ref]

Similarly with B-3 which, as written, seems to mean that we now need to know where incoming substitutes are at the moment of the RFP (and, specifically, are they outside the area defined in B-2).

For example:

Play 1: A34 is in the huddle at the snap. Team A break the huddle, A34 lines up an the tail back in an I formation, and then goes in to motion, taking two steps forwards and then shuffling sideways and is positioned directly behind the right tackle, and still moving, at the snap. A34 is unrestricted.

Play 2: Team A break the huddle and run exactly the same play as Play 1. However, rather than being in the huddle at the RFP, A34 was an incoming substitute and was 10-15 yards away from the huddle at the RFP although he does subsequently join the huddle. However, he now meets all the criteria under B-3 which make him restricted (he is in motion at the snap and he has been outside the area in B-2 after the RFP) even though from huddle to snap this is exactly the same play as in Play 1.

[BC70]

I am thinking that play you described TX Mike will be a foul either behind or beyond LOS if player is beyond NZ and comes back. This rule continues to get more complex.

[Andrew McCarthy]

I'm confused about the following:

B. The following players of Team A are restricted with regard to blocking below the waist:
  1. A lineman who at the snap is more than seven yards from the middle lineman of the offensive formation.
  2. A back who at the snap is aligned with the frame of his body completely outside the tackle box or completely outside the frame of the body of the second lineman from the snapper in either direction toward a sideline. 
  3. A back who is in motion at the snap and had been outside the area in B‐2 any time after the ball was ready for play and before the snap.  All other players are unrestricted. In particular, after the ball is ready for play a player who is in motion at the snap and is never outside the area in B‐2 before the snap is unrestricted.

C. Inside the area in B‐2 a restricted player may not block below the waist against any opponent.

Say we have trips split out to one side.  Two are aff the line, one player is on.  The players who are off the line can not block below the waist at all while the player who is on the line can?

[FLBJ]

I'm confused about the following:

B. The following players of Team A are restricted with regard to blocking below the waist:
  1. A lineman who at the snap is more than seven yards from the middle lineman of the offensive formation.
  2. A back who at the snap is aligned with the frame of his body completely outside the tackle box or completely outside the frame of the body of the second lineman from the snapper in either direction toward a sideline. 
  3. A back who is in motion at the snap and had been outside the area in B‐2 any time after the ball was ready for play and before the snap.  All other players are unrestricted. In particular, after the ball is ready for play a player who is in motion at the snap and is never outside the area in B‐2 before the snap is unrestricted.

C. Inside the area in B‐2 a restricted player may not block below the waist against any opponent.

Say we have trips split out to one side.  Two are off the line, one player is on.  The players who are off the line can not block below the waist at all while the player who is on the line can?

I think for my first attempt at a reply, I misunderstood your question. I read item C as 'if you are in this are and are restricted, you cannot block below the waist, period. The ONLY player I can see in that situation (inside that area AND restricted) is one who is in motion and at one time was OUTSIDE the tackle box. If you are set at the snap AND inside the box OR if you are in motion but were never outside the box, you are no longer restricted and that comment doesn't apply to you.

The 'trips' you mention would still have the same restrictions from last year IN ADDITION to the fact they cannot block back toward their goal line ('south') if they have been beyond the line.

Is that what you're asking?

[Andrew McCarthy]

Maybe my confusion is when it says "inside the area in B-2", I take it to mean the area outside the tackle box, etc.

So a back that is wide can not block below the waist at all- isn't that what C says?

[FLBJ]

Maybe my confusion is when it says "inside the area in B-2", I take it to mean the area outside the tackle box, etc.

So a back that is wide can not block below the waist at all- isn't that what C says?

C. Inside the area in B-2 a restricted player may not block below the waist against any opponent.

D. Outside this area a restricted player may not block below the waist in a direction away from his adjacent sideline. He may block below the waist along the north-south line or toward his adjacent sideline (subject to the restrictions in Paragraph A).

Given that it says 'outside this area' in part D, I took Part C to mean within the tackle box (not sure WHY they couldn't just say 'tackle box' and not 'the area in B-2' but that's another discussion). Those NOT in the tackle box (part D) are subject to the 'adjacent sideline' restrictions, still.

Maybe?

Here's another possibility that I'm not reading it correctly: a restricted player may not block below the waist WITHIN the tackle box (meaning my thoughts on whether he's in or out at the snap don't matter, it's just you cannot block below the waist in that area if you're restricted. 

Example: H back (not wing; A32) 4 yards deep and behind the right tight end (A88). B92 lines up outside A88. Play action and as part of that, A32 moves to the left and ends up behind the center 4-5 yards deep. QB rolls a little left and B92 moves around the right tackle (disengages) and toward the QB. A32, seeing his QB in danger, cuts B92 (in front, below the waist, toward his adjacent sideline, and not a chop block) but the action occurs BEHIND the center (within area from B-2). Foul because he's restricted and the action occurs in that area???

[jg-me]

There is a minor differentation between the tackle box and the B-2 area. If they line up with tight spacing of the O'line, you could have a back lined up NOT completely outside the tackle box (say behind a TE) but that back would be outside the B-2 area (second lineman from snapper). It actually makes it so that you don't have to always guess where 5 yards is. If the back is outside the second lineman it won't matter whether or not he's at 5 yards.

[FLBJ]

Good point on the definitions in B-2 and tackle box. Might be a bit easier...

[Rulesman]

Good point on the definitions in B-2 and tackle box. Might be a bit easier...

Easier Yeah, right! 

[TXMike]

I propose a creation of a new "zone"  It will be the "modified tackle box"

[Osric Pureheart]

I propose the creation of a newer zone, 120 yards long and very slightly more than 53 yards wide...