Intentional Grounding is a Point of Emphasis this season. As a guy who wore that white hat for 30+ years, I found IG to be among the most challenging calls I had to make. The rule has nuances that most fans and many coaches (and, unfortunately, some officials) do not appreciate. There are also rule differences at all levels of play. So, I thought we might benefit from an open discussion of some of the more nuanced aspects of the high school rule.
We start with the bare language of the rule, which is relatively straightforward:
“ART. 2 . . . An illegal forward pass is a foul. Illegal forward passes include: …
d. A pass intentionally thrown into an area not occupied by an eligible offensive receiver.
e. A pass intentionally thrown incomplete to save loss of yardage or to conserve time.
EXCEPTION: It is legal for a player positioned directly behind the snapper to conserve time by intentionally throwing the ball forward to the ground immediately after receiving the snap that has neither been muffed nor touched the ground.”
Based on the language of the rule, how would you rule on the following play situations?
2nd and 6 from the B 42 yd. line. QB A1 drops back to pass.
Under a heavy rush, he dumps the ball off to what he thought was his outlet receiver, standing all alone at the B 42. Except, it turns out it isn’t a receiver, but #78, who catches the ball and advances to the B 38, where he is tackled.
Same as 1, except this time #78 doesn’t catch the ball, but muffs it, and it falls incomplete.
He rolls right and gets free of the rush. After surveying the field, he decides there’s no one open, and he’s under instructions to avoid running the ball because of a bad ankle, so he simply gives up the down by throwing the ball incomplete into an area unoccupied by an eligible receiver.
Chew on these for a little while, and then I’ll come back and we’ll discuss the answers. I think you’ll be surprised and, I’m betting you might find some of this a bit controversial.
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Bobref
Intentional Grounding is a Point of Emphasis this season. As a guy who wore that white hat for 30+ years, I found IG to be among the most challenging calls I had to make. The rule has nuances that most fans and many coaches (and, unfortunately, some officials) do not appreciate. There are also rule differences at all levels of play. So, I thought we might benefit from an open discussion of some of the more nuanced aspects of the high school rule.
We start with the bare language of the rule, which is relatively straightforward:
“ART. 2 . . . An illegal forward pass is a foul. Illegal forward passes include: …
d. A pass intentionally thrown into an area not occupied by an eligible offensive receiver.
e. A pass intentionally thrown incomplete to save loss of yardage or to conserve time.
EXCEPTION: It is legal for a player positioned directly behind the snapper to conserve time by intentionally throwing the ball forward to the ground immediately after receiving the snap that has neither been muffed nor touched the ground.”
Based on the language of the rule, how would you rule on the following play situations?
2nd and 6 from the B 42 yd. line. QB A1 drops back to pass.
Chew on these for a little while, and then I’ll come back and we’ll discuss the answers. I think you’ll be surprised and, I’m betting you might find some of this a bit controversial.
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