NFL Penalties Explained #1: Pre-Snap Penalties
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- čas přidán 15. 12. 2021
- If you've ever watched an American football game, you've probably seen the officials call some penalties. You've probably seen a lot of penalties. This video covers pre-snap penalties and focuses on how they are handled in the NFL.
- What is offside?
- What is a false start?
- What is a neutral zone infraction?
- What is illegal motion?
- What is an illegal shift?
- What is delay of game?
This is the first in a two-part series explaining NFL penalties. The next video will cover post-snap penalties and personal fouls.
Thanks as always to my subscribers and for leaving comments! - Sport
I love the production value and quality behind these. Even as a guy who likes to think he has about a 90% grasp of the topic, the explanation of where the minute differences come in are super high quality. A really exciting young channel!
Thanks! More are on the way.
I agree! I was never sure what an illegal shift or illegal motion was! 😊
I've been a semi-casual football fan all my life, but I never had any idea what the differences between the offside penalties were. I just always assumed that a neutral zone infraction was when one of the defensive players was a Romulan.
Yea, they are subtle!
And yes, I think of that every time
As a referee for rugby league down here in New Zealand - this is pure gold and crazy complicated all at the same time 😅🙂 Love it!
Why does this have so few views? This is an absolute godsend for people like me who can't enjoy a game if they don't understand what's happening!
0:00 Intro
0:43 Basic Overview
- You do something wrong
- the ref calls you out on it
- you suffer setback
1:55 Neutral Zone
3:20 False Start
4:06 Illegal Shiift
4:35 Illegal Formation
Defensive Penalties
7:17 Offsides
8:20 Neutral Zone Infraction [Dead ball]
8:55 Delay of Game
I’m a relatively new fan within the last 2 years and the penalties are what I have never understood. It also doesn’t help as I live in the uk and can’t watch many games so cannot see the penalties in the first place unless they are on the high list reels. This video is so helpful!
Thanks 👍
I’m a baseball umpire looking into refereeing football games in the fall. This video really helps explain a lot of things.
As a high school official myself, welcome. Also... the rules are entirely different in HS.
Came from the pitching video, now binging the content
Seriously great work, even for knowledgeable fans this is awesome to watch and learn from. Best way to learn is to teach etc etc
I love the clear explanations! And thank you for placing some examples in here too!
The old term for false start was "illegal procedure". You might still here that from time to time.
I get excited when you upload
Great video on an important topic! Being a very very casual football fan, I've always had a vague idea of what these penalties are for but having all the distinctions explained like this is incredibly helpful! Can't wait for part 2!
Thanks!
Why are the officials wearing Collingwood jumpers. Is it because no one likes them?
I love this. Concise with great quality. I feel good about these pre-snap penalties after watching this.
More of this, straight in my veins. This that good stuff.
Thanks!
Great video! I'm new to the NFL and this helped me a lot.
Greetings from Germany :)
Great to hear!
Even though I would consider myself a well-versed football fan when it comes to most rules, your content and explanations are still super interesting! Love the content so far, keep it up!
Now only if you could explain what a catch is. 😂
Thanks!
And yea, maybe a video about NFL intricacies is in order
Just want it documented I was here for the birth of a great channel! Congrats on your success
🥳
Thanks mate, helped me enjoy American football even more now
And I thought there were many rules already 😂. Very informative. Great video
This is cool, being a filthy casual I get hung up on these rules a lot. Makes me wonder if the game would change a lot if some of the rules like illegal shift weren’t in the game
There are definitely games where the officials are more lax about that one... and a few years ago they decided to stop calling that one too strictly on wide receivers
For the algorithm because this channel deserves more subs. Another great educational video.
Thanks 🙏
Funny thing is the ref at 11:55 was officiating the 2023 opening game between the Lions and the Chiefs which made me think of this video. Surely enough, at some point in the game he called this EXACT penalty on the Lions’ Offense! IIRC one of the commentators rightfully stated: “that usually means it’s actually the center’s fault.” Thanks for giving us a good reference to fall back to SE! Hope to see more content from you in the future!
Love it
GREAT VIDEO SIR THANK YOU 👍
This is great! I never could tell encroachment, offsides and a neutral zone infraction apart, they were just all the same for me.
Yea, it’s basically the same penalty under three names, separated by context
@@SportsExplained Offsides allows the play to continue, so that's a pretty major distinction, but encroachment and NZI are basically the same thing for purposes of enforcement.
Pre snap penalties … that beat is kick ass😂
Great video -- thanks! What about when either side breaks the huddle with 12 players? Or other situations where there are too many men on the field?
“12 men in the huddle” is the official name of the penalty for when there are 12 men in the huddle! Rare, but it happened just last week.
“Too many men on the field” is the official name of the penalty when there are otherwise more than 11 players.
I had never seen a delay of game on the defence, since I started watching American football as a kid in the 90s (I'm now 36). I saw it twice these season (2022). The defence was winning late in the game and didn't give the ball back/impeded offensive players. I love unusual fouls.
We also had the other scenario of defensive delay of game this season when the defense simulates the snap count to get the center to snap the ball at the wrong time.
@@Andrew-qu7lq that's right! I remember now you said it.
Idk if you will see this comment, being that the video is a year old, but this video helped me understand the NFL more than anything ever has. Thank you
Thanks🥳
@@SportsExplained part 2 was great as well!
The only major presnap penalty not covered in this video is illegal substitution. This most commonly called when one side has more than 11 players on the feild and is usually an accident resulting from as miscommunication with the coaches and other players. Illilegal substitution may also be called if an ineligible player is subbed in such as subbing a person into a position they are not allowed to play as the nfl has specific rules on who can play each position. Illegal substitution may also be called if the offense failes to give the defense a chance a substitution a because nfl rules state if the offense makes a substitution they must give the defense a chance to counter if they so choose. Failure to do this is an illegal substitution on of the offense.
I played Centre for 16 years and I can add one
1) if you pick the ball up and put it back down and hope no one noticed and the D don't jump - that gets called as "illegal procedure on the centre"
Also not a penalty, but one that will make the rest of the O line mad - when the QB calls "first sound" but you know him well enough that when he calls 'set' you can tell by the tone of his voice he's forgotten and thinks it's on one - snap it anyway
Got all answers right, what can i earn as a NFL-Ref ?
I watch this video in the commercial breaks, while Packers Defense scared Tua to the size of a smurf, and now watching Wilson earning First-round-picks for Denver. ;)
For more of your Research, i activated the bell.
What no unabaited to the quarterback stock clip? 🤣🤣 nice vid
The only pre-snap penalty I can think of you could have included was the infamous "Disconcerting signals penalty" where the refs deem that a defensive player is mimicking the offensive signals, particularly the quarterback's cadence.
What I'd like to know is how players, coordinators and teams take advantage of those rules. For example, usually on the last down, the center and the whole OL takes quite a long time to start the game. I assumed that they were trying to cause the defenders to move so they could easily continue playing. What kind of other strategies they use?
If the offense is on 4th down and needs 5 or fewer yards to get a first down, instead of sending out the punting unit they may line up and pretend that they're going to run a play in an attempt to get the defense to jump offsides, as the 5-yard penalty would give them enough yardage to result in a first down. However, if the offense needs more than 5 yards to get the first down even with the penalty it would still be 4th down. I don't think any pre-snap penalties can result in an automatic first down, those can only occur after the ball is snapped and the play is happening. They can also wait until the play clock is about to expire to eat up as much time on the game clock as possible if the clock is running.
hey ive watched the nfl for a long time but i just wat a recap of all the rules because some of them arent really called out on most games
The Canadian Football League has differences in their penalties, some are called different names and receivers have much greater freedom to move before the snap.
Second quiz scene seems to be a neutral zone infraction from both offense and defense, as the Dolphins' WR has his right foot parallel to the ball before the DB crossed the neutral zone.
The receivers can do that as they would be "on the ball" usually the the outside receiver looks at the line judge to make sure he is on the ball or slightly off if he needs to be due to the formation. That's what happening when the receiver pre snap, points at the referee and the referee raises his arm parallel to the Ball
@@smiley3554 That is exactly the same play Chiefs' WR Toney was penalized for vs. Bills, it was offensive offside because his foot was parallel to ball.
Surprised you didn't reference offsides being referred to as a free play, with regards to the offense being able to go for it without consequence.
I’ve seen plays where a defender jumps forward before the ball is snapped, but then he jumps back and no flag ever gets thrown. What’s going on here??
It’s not a blown call either, because I’ve seen it happen multiple times and it never gets flagged.
My only guess would be that he never actually entered the neutral zone, therefore no penalty occurred. (Since defenders are allowed to move pre-snap)
Sometimes a referee will let it go if the player gets back on their side of the ball 1. Before the play starts and 2. If none of the offense reacts to him. This is why sometimes if a player jumps offsides an offensive player will pretend like it made them jump so that the referee has to blow the play dead so they call the penalty. In that event the referee will say something like neutral zone infraction on the defense causing the offense to move. Sometimes if the offense does snap the ball at the same time he jumps offsides and the offense knows it, the QB and WR will automatically switch the play to a hailmary because the defense will get penalized when the play is over no matter what. That's what fans call a free play.
8:10 the term for that is Unabated to the Quarterback
5:53 I dont think if either of the 2 players was 1 yard away from scrimmage, the flag wouldnt have been dropped. Even if either one was away from scrimmage, its illegal because hes simply not at the end of the line and is recognized as an elgible receiver normally. In the NFL, players with numbers 50-79 are considered ineligible by default.
At 5:03 you state that all interior players on the line are not eligible receivers. However, at 6:41 you show the Patriots in a formation where there is a tight end lined up on the left hand side, apparently, in the interior of the line, and he is an eligible receiver and runs a deep pass pattern on the play. So based on the rule stated at 5:03, one would think that this tight end should not have been eligible. Where am I wrong?
The wide receiver at the bottom of the screen is a yard behind the line of scrimmage, so the tight end is at the end of the line
An offense can have up to five players behind the line of scrimmage that do not apply to the line of scrimmage rules
Also, is the Buffalo Bills on offense in this clip
@@SportsExplained Oh yeah, thanks, that is the Bills. Now I see the Patriots are on defense.
@@SportsExplained Thanks, I understand now about the tight end being eligible, as he is at the end of the line. However, you say in your comment above that the offense can have up to 5 players behind the line of scrimmage. How can the offense have 5 players behind the line of scrimmage while the offense is required to have at least 7 players on the line of scrimmage?
Here for the nuance!
you learn the penalties you learn the mechanism behind american football
I'm a rugby union and cricket fan.
I have heard that Americans find these games complicated for some reason .🤣
***** so an offside or neutral zone infraction is a false start BUT they cross over the neutral zone, correct?
False start is an offensive penalty. Offensive players must remain still once they're set for the play except for two players. If an offensive player so much as flinches after being set, it's a false start.
Offside / NZI / Encroachment are penalties on the defense. Defensive players are allowed to move as much as they want before the snap, they just can't move into the neutral zone. If they do, they'll get a flag for one of those penalties. They're essentially the same penalty with the same consequence -- the differences between Offside, NZI and Encroachment are minor, with NZI and Encroachment being nearly identical penalties.
Edit: Offside can technically be called on the offense, but it's very rare. This is called when an offensive player lines up in the neutral zone. This rarely happens at the higher levels of football.
@@SportsExplained thank you so much for the further explanation!! i was a little confused at first, so thank you!
Ok. Here’s a new one for me. At a local VAHS football game. Ref said, “false start offense, offsides defense, penalties offset each other.”
Wait what? Is that even possible? Thanks.
Hm. Yeah.
In the NFL the rule is the defense must be on their side of the ball when the ball is snapped. If the offense false starts then by definition the ball has not been snapped.
But if the defense enters the neutral zone and causes someone on the offense to false start, that’s a neutral zone infraction against the defense.
So maybe there was a defensive player in the neutral zone and also a false start from someone on the other side of the line?
I've heard college refs explain these with for instance, illegal shift, two players in motion at the same time.
Do NFL refs get discretion to explain penalties or are they not allowed to? That's something I'm curious about. I've heard certain college refs do this when they ref other sports as well (Gene Steretore comes to mind), so I'm curious why NFL refs don't xplain the penalties in that way
Some do, most don’t. I would love for it to be more specific.
Can you do a NFL explained for rest of the world ?
So the reasoning behind many penalties is obvious, e.g., an offsides is an attempt to get a jump on the play, pass interference is obvious, etc. But I never understood what the reason for the eligible receivers on both sides, interior ineligible rule is. What difference does it make, why is this a penalty?
I don’t know the reason exactly
My guess is it is a vestige of the earliest days of the forward pass, which were revolutionary in terms of international football games … but why exactly is not clear to me
“Offsides is a penalty that can technically be called on offense or defense, but it’s exceptionally rare for it to be called on the offense.”… until the 2023 season.
Toney lol
Yep, does happen! Haha. Not gonna complain about that particular call.
Seth Rogan started a CZcams channel about the detailed rules of sports like we wouldn't notice
How can the defense be penalized for a 'delay of game'? Is it called that if the defensive team has taken too long to make their formation before the snap? That is the only way I'd imagine this call to be made, but as a Dutch guy who likes watching football, I'm not very familiar with the more detailed set of rules, particularly in terms of penalties. And this sport is said to have the most types of fouls among all sports in the world, by far.
Defensive delay of game is rare. It involves a defensive player obstructing the offense’s ability to get set for a play.
This might come into play at the end of a game when the offense only has time for one more play, like this: czcams.com/video/LC7vQjtvhUQ/video.html … in this situation the officials correctly determined the defensive player physically obstructed the offense’s ability to set up for the play
#05#05#05
I'm still always gonna be a bit clueless when Illegal Formation is called
Yea, it's tough because you have to know the positions of every player when you watch on TV. A lot of times you can't even see the uniform numbers, so there's really no way to know until the penalty is called.
There can only be five eligible players to receive a pass on any one play. The player who throws the pass is not eligible to receive the pass UNLESS the forward passed ball is tipped.
If a forward-passed ball is tipped, then everyone on the offense becomes eligible.
If a defensive player is offside and has a clear path to the backfield, the penalty is no longer offside, but unabated to the quarterback or backfield, if there is no quarterback.
Your description of neutral zone infraction is incorrect. If a defensive player enters the neutral zone and causes a player directly opposite him to false start, it is a neutral zone infraction against the offending defensive player. Also, any lineman within two linemen of the lineman opposite the defensive player entering the neutral zone is considered opposite the defensive lineman.
For example, if a defensive end enters the neutral zone and a lineman on the opposite side of the field false starts in response to the neutral zone infraction, it is a false start against the offense, and not a neutral zone infraction.
All of these defensive penalties: offside, unabated to the quarterback (backfield), neutral zone infraction, and encroachment used to be called offsides.
The new categories allow for a more granular accounting of the behavior to the teams.
encroachment is an OFFENSE penalty NOT defense! Otherwise good break down!
at the college level you are correct!
In the NFL encroachment is on the defense.
I gotta disagree with your answer to quiz question number 2. In the NFL I can't imagine the refs blowing that play dead. Encroachment only seems to get called if the center doesn't elect to immediately snap the ball, which he does here.
This was called Encroachment on the field!
Great content but your annoying background music lost it for me. Sorry.
Just saying: Officials don't call penalties. They call fouls. Penalties are the result of a foul. Knowing and using the proper terms is important if you are going to teach.
i thought this video would explain why its a penalty. what does it matter if offense move around? they still jave to snap the ball in play anyway. defense moves around so why cant offense. false start is fucking dumb
Introduction too long and penalties too short
I think this is why the sport doesn’t travel very well. There are an enormous number of these intricate little rules. Most sports have these fine grain regulations, but American football is different in that they’re essential to understanding what is happening on the field. I’m British and have been watching the NFL since I was a kid, but I don’t know most of these rules. The game is too complicated for its own good sometimes.
I could get behind consolidating some of this!
Offside, encroachment, and neutral zone infractions are basically the same thing. No real benefit to calling it three different things!
Especially encroachment and the neutral zone infraction… they’re essentially the same penalty.