RR on Adjacent Sideline

[TXMike]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL OFFICIATING, LLC
INTERPRETATION
BLOCKING BELOW THE WAIST: ADJACENT SIDELINE
Player Stationary At The Snap
The adjacent sideline is the sideline to the player’s outside. This is the case no matter where the ball is located when it is snapped.
 For a player on the left side of the formation, this will be the sideline to the left.
 For a player on the right side of the formation, this will be the sideline to the right.
EXAMPLE 1 The ball is at the right hash mark. Back A22 is one foot outside the tackle box to the left of the formation and he is stationary when the ball is snapped.
RULING: The left sideline is to A22’s outside so it is his adjacent sideline, even though technically he is closer to the sideline to his right, which is “across the formation” from him. A22 is 25 yards and one foot from the right sideline and is slightly more than 28 yards from the left sideline. The clear intent of the rule is for the adjacent sideline to be to his left, i. e., to his outside.
Player In Motion At The Snap
For a player who is moving at the snap, the adjacent sideline is determined the same as for a player who is stationary at the snap. That is, it is the sideline to the outside of his position at the snap. Note that his adjacent sideline will “flip” if his motion takes him beyond the snapper before the ball is snapped.
EXAMPLE 2 The ball is at the left hash mark. Back A33 is split far to the right. After all eleven Team A players have been set for at least one second A33 starts in motion to his left. When the ball is snapped he is just behind the right tackle and still moving laterally to the left.
RULING: The adjacent sideline for A33 is the right sideline, since he started from that
side and is still to the right of the snapper when the ball is snapped. Thus he may legally
block below the waist north-and-south or toward his right sideline.
EXAMPLE 3 The ball is at the left hash mark. Back A33 is split far to the right. After all
eleven Team A players have been set for at least one second A33 starts in motion to his
left. He continues beyond the snapper, and when the ball is snapped he is just behind
the left guard and is “running in place” rather than moving laterally.
RULING: The adjacent sideline for A33 is the left sideline; that is now the sideline to his
outside since his motion has taken him behind the snapper and to the opposite side of
the formation from which he started. Thus he may legally block below the waist northand-
south or toward his left sideline.
Player in Motion Directly Behind the Snapper
When a back in motion is almost directly behind the snapper when the ball is
snapped, it may be difficult to determine which side of the formation he is on to
establish his adjacent sideline. In this case, the adjacent sideline is interpreted to be the
sideline toward which he is moving. Thus he will be able to block below the waist legally
north-and-south or toward the sideline in front of him.
EXAMPLE 4 Back A44 lines up to the left of the formation, either inside or outside the
tackle box. He starts in motion laterally to his right. At the snap he appears to be
directly behind the snapper as he continues moving laterally to the right.
RULING: The adjacent sideline for A44 is the sideline to the right. Thus he may legally
block below the waist north-and-south or toward the sideline to the right of the
formation.
Rogers Redding
Secretary-Rules Editor
NCAA Football Rules Committee

[El Macman]

Well, there you go. He fixed that part. Now that makes sense and will work. Good for RR.

Now, about blocking an eligible receiver below the waist in the blocking zone extended....

Now, about blocking a passer below the waist (after the BZ has disintegrated) immediately after he releases the pass...

I'm just never satisfied, am I? I wish I was in Hawai'i. 104 degrees here right now. Many consecutive days above 100 now.

[El Macman]

In my giddiness that RR had addressed this issue, I overlooked the fact that he references the snapper as being the landmark for which side of the formation a player may be positioned. By rule, it is the middle lineman. But, for 98%, maybe 99% of al plays, the snapper will work. Just wish he'd get these details right.

[copedaddy]

Has common sense prevailed? Tell me it aint so.
Good Job RR. Now what about that reciever?

[Atlanta Blue]

What about the back, not in motion, that is straight behind the middle lineman, or for that matter, a QB under center?

[JasonTX]

What about the back, not in motion, that is straight behind the middle lineman, or for that matter, a QB under center?

Those players can block below the waist in either direction.  It's only those that are in "restricted" positions would we need to know which way they can block below the waist.

[TXMike]

So are we are back  to considering the orig position of the ball at the snap?

I am attaching a diagram highlighting the difference between "middle lineman" and "snapper".  In the diagrammed play #1, can the player in motion legally block below the waist in the direction shown?   What about in #2 where he is stationary at the snap?

[attachment deleted by admin]

[El Macman]

So are we are back  to considering the orig position of the ball at the snap?

I am attaching a diagram highlighting the difference between "middle lineman" and "snapper".  In the diagrammed play #1, can the player in motion legally block below the waist in the direction shown?   What about in #2 where he is stationary at the snap?

Assuming (uuuu, here I go again) RR has not actually changed the rule with this interpretation and the the middle lineman is still the landmark, then, technically, yes. But, if I'm a defensive coach, and an offense sets up in a formation like this, I'm licking my chops. The snapper can't block both guys on him, so the QB is gonna be under pressure immediately. In my 38 years, I've never seen a formation like this, and I think there's a reason for that. But, if a team can manage to be successful in a formation like this, then the rules might need to be adjusted. But let's see it happen, first.
But, there is the outside possibility that RR has changed the rule with this interpretation. First one to get an audience with him, please ask.

[TXMike]

I don't think the formation is that wild.  Looks pretty much like the swinging gate. Or like any of these:

http://www.letstalkdefense.com/gateplay.gif

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/193392/2pt_medium.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/54/Swinging_Gate_FG.jpg/300px-Swinging_Gate_FG.jpg

http://www.davesez.com/images/11-6_fig3.gif

http://www.jocksupport.com/Coaches/football/fig/fly_1.gif


But...the real issue is "middle lineman" or "snapper"?   He says time and time again in the most recent document, "snapper".  Knowing RR's concern over proper terminology, I don't think that is an oversight.  Course that would run counter to the 09 memo where he wanted "middle lineman" used instead of "snapper"  http://www.spczebras.org/football/09blockingzone.pdf 

[ref6983]

Not sure how there is any question regarding the definition of "adjacent sideline". It is based solely on with side of the snapper a given player is on (it's also clear what to do with a motion man directly behind the snapper). The tackle box is also solely based on the snapper and they seem to have removed the old requirement that if a back is outside the middle lineman plus two, then he is restricted. Looks like it's all about the tackle box now for backs.

The middle lineman only comes in to play to determine whether a player on the line is restricted when blocking below the waist or not. Has absolutely nothing to do with which sideline is a player's adjacent sideline.

It's pretty obvious why this is true...it's simply easier to officiate, coach and for players to understand if you use the ball as the line of demarcation rather than the middle lineman.

[jg-me]

Perhaps I am missing something with Ed and Mike's discussion. The old BBW rule ws clearly changed by this year's book. With the new rule the only players affected by the term 'middle lineman' are players who are actually on the LOS. Players positioned in the backfield, excepting a back in motion at the snap, are affected by the term 'tackle box'. The tackle box is based upon the positon of the snapper regardless of the formation. In Mike's diagram, the five linemen furthest to the left, the QB and the back closest to him are unrestricted. Everyone else falls outside the given parameters. The undefined paprameter in the latest interps is not about who is restricted but is about what constitutes 'side of formation'. From RR's wording it seems clear that this is to be determined by the positon of the ball.
  As to the question of the motion man in Mike's diagram, he would be restricted from blocking low on the defender he is shown going toward. The motion man is on the left side of the formation, as determined by the ball location, and is blocking toward the right sideline. This interp seems intuitively proper as it makes it illegal for a restricted player to block back towards the ball.

[TXMike]

If  a Team A  player's "adjacent sideline" can only be determined by knowing where the snapper (and ergo....the ball) is in relation to that Team A player, then there really is no change.  The same Team A players are restricted now that were restricted before.  And they could not block back towards the ball before.  Nor can they now. 

[El Macman]

Believe it or not, ref6983 and jg-me's thoughts also occurred to me while I was out mowing the yard this morning (after my comment at 9:16). Yeah, determining which players are restricted and determining such player's adjacent sideline's might be, and apparently are, two different things. But, I'm not sure it is a good thing. Same with the difference between the landmarks for linemen and backs. Yeah, the landmark for the 'tackle box' is the snapper, whereas it is the middle lineman for linemen. Granted, for the strong majority of situations, they are the same, and the rules work just fine. But, as TxMike points out, swinging gate formations, etc., can put the middle lineman far removed from the snapper. If the middle lineman was used as the common landmark for all of these things, then all of these issues disappear.

But, at least with RR's interpretation, we know which is the adjacent sideline, and that's a good thing.

[copedaddy]

I tend to agree with TXMike, the only real change seems to be the 10 yard rule has been taken away from restricted players blocking back toward the ball. I think that was the sole intention in the first place, but then Pandora's box got opened up with the north/south and adjacent sideline terms and wow it went crazy from there.

[TXMike]

I oversimplified somewhat because the change will make certain blocks illegal that were legal before.  On the attached diagram, if the player in red were to go downfield and make a block below the waist in the direction shown and at the spot shown, it would technically be a foul.  But IMHO these are the blocks that are going to be missed at times with 7 man crews and missed often with 5 man crews.  A NCAA clinician recently said he had searched high and low for film of a block like this so he could use it as an example but had been unable to find one so maybe it does not happen that often anyway. 

[RMAC Deep Guy]

I oversimplified somewhat because the change will make certain blocks illegal that were legal before.  On the attached diagram, if the player in red were to go downfield and make a block below the waist in the direction shown and at the spot shown, it would technically be a foul.  But IMHO these are the blocks that are going to be missed at times with 7 man crews and missed often with 5 man crews.  A NCAA clinician recently said he had searched high and low for film of a block like this so he could use it as an example but had been unable to find one so maybe it does not happen that often anyway. 

Take a look at any Air Force game and you may find an example of this type of block.