So How Does Football Work Anyways? Part IV

Final post before we *tackle* the ins and outs of fantasy... this one is about penalties, or breaking the rules. Quite often they involve a player acting like an idiot.

Besides looking like ex-football players who have had one chalupa too many, referees make a lot of penalty hand motions during the game that don't make much sense if you don't know what they're about. I'm going to recap the main ones that suck for the offense or the defense.

Most penalties in football involve a situation where the offense either loses yardage (offensive penalty) or gains yardage (defensive penalty).

Interference

Interference happens when, before the ball arrives, a player deliberately makes contact with an opponent beyond five yards of the line of scrimmage, keeping that opponent from catching the ball. There can be both offensive and defensive interference, though defensive interference is called more often.

If the ball is deemed uncatchable, interference is not called. If a defender tips the ball on its flight to the receiver, then players may make contact with one another without interference being called.

Interference penalties in the NFL are placed from the spot of the foul, so that the yardage might cover 40 or 50 yards, depending on how far the ball was thrown. Though this might seem harsh, it is meant to compensate for the potential lost yardage of a long pass play.

False Start

When an offensive player already set for the snap moves or flinches before the snap of the ball, this is called a false start. It is more commonly known as offsides. The play is over and a five yard penalty is assessed.

Holding

When an offensive player grabs part of the jersey of a defensive player, then offensive holding is called. Also, if an offensive player grabs the arms of a defender, or if the offensive player wraps an arm around a defender, then offensive holding is called. This is a ten yard penalty, with the down replayed.

Defensive holding can also occur. If this happens, then it is a five yard penalty and an automatic first down.

Delay of Game

In the NFL there is a 45-second clock between plays. If the offense does not snap the ball before the 45 seconds are up, then a delay of game penalty is called. This is a five yard penalty for the offense (They lose five yards - the line of scrimmage gets moved back five yards - you still with me?).

Face Mask

When one player grabs the face mask of an opponent, this is a five yard penalty.

When a player grabs the face mask of an opponent and uses it to tackle or otherwise manhandle that opponent, a fifteen yard penalty is assessed. That's pretty badass to watch, I must say.

Instant Replay

Due to perceived pivotal bad calls by the referees over the years, a new rule was written called the instant replay rule. In the NFL, the head referee can look at a replay camera on the sideline to view all the camera angles and see whether a call should be overruled. Not all plays can be overruled, such as those that involve "judgment calls," like pass interference.

There are rules that stipulate when replays are used. In the NFL, the head coaches are given a red flag. When the coach wants a play reviewed, that coach may throw his flag onto the field and ask for a review. This is called a challenge.

To overturn a call, a referee must see indisputable proof that the call was wrong. Most calls are not overturned and in many cases (to the frustration of coaches, players and fans alike) this is the reason given. I will editorialize here that the really good coaches, as the song goes, know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em - such as Tom Coughlin, coach of the New York Football Giants.

Each coach has two reviews per half. If a challenge is not upheld, then the coach loses a timeout. Since there are only three timeouts per half, and these are the only way a defense can stop the clock late in the game, timeouts are considered precious.

If a coach uses both of his timeouts in a half and both are upheld, he is given a third challenge for that half. Challenges do not carry over to the next half.

Under two minutes of either half (at which point the "two-minute warning" is called), a coach is not allowed to challenge a call. In this case, officials in a replay booth above the field may call for a challenge, whereupon the same process is used.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

If one player strikes an opponent with a fist or kick, runs into a player after the whistle is blown, or jumps on the pile after the whistle is blown, then a player is called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. If a player taunts an opponent by spiking the ball in his face, or performs some other flagrant act, then an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is called. These penalties are worth fifteen yards.

Illegal Celebration

In recent years, illegal celebration penalties have become more stringent. When a player scores a touchdown, that player cannot involve other players in a choreographed celebration, use a prop for his celebration or fall to the ground in a celebration. If teammates leave the bench area to celebrate, this is illegal, too. If any of these things happen, then an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is called. Though the touchdown still stands, a fifteen yard penalty is assessed on the following kickoff.

Those are the main penalties. The above information may seem a bit overwhelming, but this is just a list to refer back to when watching games. I promise that you'll get the main gist of certain penalties pretty quickly.

I leave you with some SportsCenter footage - the Top Ten NFL Touchdown Celebrations. I'm sure some of your guy friends/boyfriends have TiVo'd some of these at one point or another.