Penalty Enforcement Spots

When you’re watching a game and one team commits a penalty, you may scratch your head over where the ball ends up for the next play.  You know that if the offense committed the penalty, the ball is moved back toward the offense’s own end zone and if the defense committed the penalty, the ball is moved forward, toward the opposite end zone, where the offense is trying to go.  But, sometimes the penalty is marked off from where the previous play started, and sometimes it’s taken from where the new play should start.  Why?  Read below…

Under the rules of football, there are three possible places (“spots”) from which a penalty is enforced.  Which spot applies depends on the type of penalty.  Below are the four possible spots of enforcement and examples of the types of fouls that apply to each:

1.       The Spot of the Foul:  Basically, where the infraction took place.  One common example is offensive holding, although this usually ends up being the line of scrimmage since most holding is committed by the offensive line.  Another example is a block in the back, which will often occur on kick returns or long runs.

2.       Previous Spot:  The line of scrimmage for the last play.  Typical examples are the various procedural penalties such as: false start (offense), delay of game (offense or defense) and encroachment (defense).

3.       Succeeding Spot:  Where the next line of scrimmage would be if the foul hadn’t occurred.  A good example here is defensive pass interference, when the offensive player against whom the foul is committed catches the ball.  Personal foul penalties that occur after the completion of the play, such as a facemask penalty or late hit, will also be enforced from the next line of scrimmage.

As always, there are exceptions when applying these enforcement spots. Any penalty committed by the offense behind the line of scrimmage (usually holding or illegal forward pass) is assessed from the previous spot.  However, you’ll remember that if the foul occurs in the end zone, the result is a safety.  Finally, if the foul occurs after a touchdown and before the extra point attempt, the penalty will be assessed on the kickoff.

Making Progress: Part 1 of 3

Today’s lesson is the first in a three-part series on the concept of forward progress.  Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the impact forward progress has on scoring touchdowns.

If you have been watching preseason football, or have been a casual football watcher in the past, you may have noticed that the next play doesn’t always start where the ball carrier hit the ground, but sometimes further downfield.  Under the rules of football, the player with the football (the runner) is given credit for all of the yards he gains under his own power before he is tackled.  Therefore, if the runner starts from the 30-yard line and is tackled at the 40-yard line, the runner has gained ten yards and his team begins its next play at the 40-yard line (where the ball is “spotted” by the officials).  Simple, right?

However, if he reaches the 40 and a defender pushes him backward so that he lands on the ground at the 38-yard line, the ball is still spotted at the 40-yard line.  This is because of the rule of forward progress.  The officials determine the furthest point at which the ball advanced when the runner was stopped (or, where the ball goes out of bounds on a fumble).  This is called the point of forward progress and becomes the “dead-ball spot.”  The officials also need to determine forward progress when an airborne receiver is hit by a defender and knocked backward to the ground. 

Notice that I said the runner gets credit for yards he gained under his own power.  This idea is key for determining the point of forward progress.  If the runner gets to the 40 and then backtracks to the 35 to avoid a tackle, the 40-yard line is no longer the point of forward progress.  This is because the runner chose to retreat those five yards and did so under his own power.  Therefore, if the runner is tackled at the 37-yard line after backtracking, the dead-ball spot is the 37-yard line, not the 40.

Below are two examples of forward progress rulings.  The first involves a catch, and the receiver was awarded a first down after replay.  In the second, the official signals that the receiver stepped out of bounds short of the first down line.  However, since the contact by the defender made him go out, he should also be given the first down.

As you may expect, coaches often use challenges to question the point of forward progress.  Of course, a coach won’t typically use a review for that purpose unless the play resulted in a first down, a long gain, or a touchdown.  Touchdowns are where forward progress gets really interesting, so, naturally, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to hear about it!