Players on the line of scrimmage

[oldtimeqb]

I feel like the wording of this rule has changed in the last few years. 

The rule is no more than 4 in the backfield, correct? 
 

A team only has 10 on the field, with 6 on the line and 4 in the backfield. Legal. 

A team has 11 on the field. Only one team wideout is on the line, so 5 are in the backfield. Illegal formation. 

Is my understanding correct? 
 

[miner_35]

2 hours ago, oldtimeqb said:

I feel like the wording of this rule has changed in the last few years. 

The rule is no more than 4 in the backfield, correct? 
 

A team only has 10 on the field, with 6 on the line and 4 in the backfield. Legal. 

A team has 11 on the field. Only one team wideout is on the line, so 5 are in the backfield. Illegal formation. 

Is my understanding correct? 
 

This is correct. This allows for there to be the five interior linemen numbered 50-79, and have no more than 4 players in the back field. These two rules are all I can really remember being specified as being required for a legal formation

[Yuccaguy]

2 hours ago, miner_35 said:

This is correct. This allows for there to be the five interior linemen numbered 50-79, and have no more than 4 players in the back field. These two rules are all I can really remember being specified as being required for a legal formation

Correct. Always looking at line #s and 4 in the backfield 

[Irishman]

38 minutes ago, Yuccaguy said:

Correct. Always looking at line #s and 4 in the backfield 

YEP.....easy to spot 5 guys OFF the LOS. 

😆

[Bobref]

36 minutes ago, Irishman said:

YEP.....easy to spot 5 guys OFF the LOS. 

😆

A tip for the uninitiated. Watch the officials on the sidelines. If the official is pointing “back” with arm extended, that means the offensive player closest to him is in the backfield. If he’s not pointing, that means the player closest to him is on the line. The “wing” officials use those signals to help the crew determine if the formation is legal.

[Irishman]

6 minutes ago, Bobref said:

A tip for the uninitiated. Watch the officials on the sidelines. If the official is pointing “back” with arm extended, that means the offensive player closest to him is in the backfield. If he’s not pointing, that means the player closest to him is on the line. The “wing” officials use those signals to help the crew determine if the formation is legal.

Yep.....it's a running gag that @Yuccaguy and I have going, dating back to the 2018 season. 🤣

[US31]

Being "on the LOS" is still based on creasing the C's waist......correct?  Or something along those lines?  Honestly asking.

 

[Bobref]

1 hour ago, US31 said:

Being "on the LOS" is still based on creasing the C's waist......correct?  Or something along those lines?  Honestly asking.

 

A player is on the offensive LOS when he meets the definition of a lineman. A lineman is any A player who is facing his opponent's goal line with the line of his shoulders approximately parallel thereto and with his head or foot breaking an imaginary plane drawn parallel to the line of scrimmage through the waist of the snapper when the ball is snapped.

[JustRules]

2 hours ago, Bobref said:

A player is on the offensive LOS when he meets the definition of a lineman. A lineman is any A player who is facing his opponent's goal line with the line of his shoulders approximately parallel thereto and with his head or foot breaking an imaginary plane drawn parallel to the line of scrimmage through the waist of the snapper when the ball is snapped.

A key aspect of this definition is you never see the word "center". There is no mention of the traditional positions in the rule book. The snapper is the person who snaps the ball. There is no center, guard, tackle, quarterback, etc.

[Yuccaguy]

You had better have your A$$ dicecting the 'snapper's butt and on LOS as a wide out.

We started a State Finals game once with the Right tackle basically in the backfire, and tossed a flag.  The next 5 minutes the HC was pleading if he gets a 'warning' . Then complaining about the previous year's penalties aginast them.  I wasn't there for that contest.

Game 15 of the season... so, hell no! It's an infraction TONIGHT.