Probably the most publicized rules change in high school football this season is the new “exception” to the intentional grounding rule. This post will attempt to explain the new rule, and to offer some tips on how to properly officiate it.
Under Rule 7-2-2d, it is a foul when a player intentionally throws a forward pass into an area not occupied by an eligible offensive receiver, or intentionally incompletes a pass to save loss of yardage or to conserve time. New in 2022 is Exception 7-2-2d(2), which provides “It is legal for a player to conserve yardage by intentionally throwing an incomplete forward pass if (a) the passer has been beyond the lateral boundary of the free blocking zone (FBZ) as established at the snap, and (b) the pass reaches the neutral zone, including its extension beyond the sideline.
A few important things to keep in mind when officiating this rule, whether you’re officiating on the field, from the stands, or on TV or streaming video 😂.
First, the lateral extent of the FBZ is 4 yds. on either side of the spot of the snap. Note that, while for blocking purposes an offensive player is considered to be within the FBZ if any part of his body is in the FBZ at the snap, that doesn’t matter for this rule. It’s 4 yds. and not an inch more.
Second, the passer must go beyond the lateral extent of the FBZ at any time during the down for the exception to apply. Thus, the passer can go beyond the 4 yds., then circle back and be inside the 4 yd. lateral extent when he throws the pass, and the exception still applies.
Finally, for the exception to apply, the forward pass must reach the neutral zone, including the neutral zone extended across the sideline, not the line of scrimmage. This means the pass can actually land almost a foot short of the LOS and the exception still applies.
Officiating this play requires the Referee to know where that 4 yd. lateral extent ends. I say “Referee,” because that determination is solely the responsibility of the guy with the white hat. No one else can make that determination. Since the ball can be snapped anywhere between the hash marks, this determination can be difficult. Here are some tips that will help.
1. As a general “rule of thumb,” if the passer takes three full steps laterally, he has likely left the FBZ.
2. R can use landmarks on the field to help. The distance between a hash mark and the nearest goal post upright is 5 yards. The uprights are 23’4” apart, just a hair short of 4 yds. from the center of the field. If the ball is snapped from the center of the field, on an upright, or from either hash, R can use these landmarks to help gauge distances. Umpires take note. You can help your R by spotting the ball on these landmarks if possible.
3. Mechanically, R must add a step to his routine, pre-snap checklist. Not only must he now check clock status, down and distance, count the offense and signal the count, check substitutions and formation, but he must also establish in his own mind where the lateral extent of the FBZ is before every snap.
4. As for determining whether the pass reached the neutral zone, if it’s close, that’s going to be the call of the wing official. As before, if there’s no receiver in the area, he should report that to R at the conclusion of the play. Now, included in that report, he should also indicate whether the pass reached the neutral zone. This report should be given even if the ball reached the neutral zone. If that’s the case, and R is working with a field mike, R should announce “There is no foul for intentional grounding, as the passer went beyond the FBZ and the pass reached the neutral zone.”
5. The “when in doubt” has not changed. When in doubt, it is not intentional grounding. Thus if the determination cannot be made with high confidence, the passer has gone beyond the lateral extent of the FBZ and/or the pass did reach the neutral zone, or neutral zone extended.
The Rules Committee added the exception after years of study, as consistent with the NF’s pervasive philosophy of “risk minimization.
Got some questions about the new rule? Post them here.
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Bobref
Probably the most publicized rules change in high school football this season is the new “exception” to the intentional grounding rule. This post will attempt to explain the new rule, and to offer some tips on how to properly officiate it.
Under Rule 7-2-2d, it is a foul when a player intentionally throws a forward pass into an area not occupied by an eligible offensive receiver, or intentionally incompletes a pass to save loss of yardage or to conserve time. New in 2022 is Exception 7-2-2d(2), which provides “It is legal for a player to conserve yardage by intentionally throwing an incomplete forward pass if (a) the passer has been beyond the lateral boundary of the free blocking zone (FBZ) as established at the snap, and (b) the pass reaches the neutral zone, including its extension beyond the sideline.
A few important things to keep in mind when officiating this rule, whether you’re officiating on the field, from the stands, or on TV or streaming video 😂.
First, the lateral extent of the FBZ is 4 yds. on either side of the spot of the snap. Note that, while for blocking purposes an offensive player is considered to be within the FBZ if any part of his body is in the FBZ at the snap, that doesn’t matter for this rule. It’s 4 yds. and not an inch more.
Second, the passer must go beyond the lateral extent of the FBZ at any time during the down for the exception to apply. Thus, the passer can go beyond the 4 yds., then circle back and be inside the 4 yd. lateral extent when he throws the pass, and the exception still applies.
Finally, for the exception to apply, the forward pass must reach the neutral zone, including the neutral zone extended across the sideline, not the line of scrimmage. This means the pass can actually land almost a foot short of the LOS and the exception still applies.
Officiating this play requires the Referee to know where that 4 yd. lateral extent ends. I say “Referee,” because that determination is solely the responsibility of the guy with the white hat. No one else can make that determination. Since the ball can be snapped anywhere between the hash marks, this determination can be difficult. Here are some tips that will help.
1. As a general “rule of thumb,” if the passer takes three full steps laterally, he has likely left the FBZ.
2. R can use landmarks on the field to help. The distance between a hash mark and the nearest goal post upright is 5 yards. The uprights are 23’4” apart, just a hair short of 4 yds. from the center of the field. If the ball is snapped from the center of the field, on an upright, or from either hash, R can use these landmarks to help gauge distances. Umpires take note. You can help your R by spotting the ball on these landmarks if possible.
3. Mechanically, R must add a step to his routine, pre-snap checklist. Not only must he now check clock status, down and distance, count the offense and signal the count, check substitutions and formation, but he must also establish in his own mind where the lateral extent of the FBZ is before every snap.
4. As for determining whether the pass reached the neutral zone, if it’s close, that’s going to be the call of the wing official. As before, if there’s no receiver in the area, he should report that to R at the conclusion of the play. Now, included in that report, he should also indicate whether the pass reached the neutral zone. This report should be given even if the ball reached the neutral zone. If that’s the case, and R is working with a field mike, R should announce “There is no foul for intentional grounding, as the passer went beyond the FBZ and the pass reached the neutral zone.”
5. The “when in doubt” has not changed. When in doubt, it is not intentional grounding. Thus if the determination cannot be made with high confidence, the passer has gone beyond the lateral extent of the FBZ and/or the pass did reach the neutral zone, or neutral zone extended.
The Rules Committee added the exception after years of study, as consistent with the NF’s pervasive philosophy of “risk minimization.
Got some questions about the new rule? Post them here.
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