Zebra
Somewhere in, NJ
Male, 62
I've officiated football for over 30 years, now in my 26th on the college level. I've worked NCAA playoffs at the Division II and III level. In addition, I've coached at the scholastic level and have been an educator for over 35 years. I have no interest whatsoever in being an NFL official! Ever!
The ref is correct. Most youth programs that I'm familiar with use high school rules, with appropriate modifications for the age of the younger and smaller players. The National Federation (that's high school) rules book has two points on this. Rule 9, Section 3, Article 2b: A player shall not block an opponent below the waist except to tackle a runner or player pretending to be a runner. And specifically on tripping, there's Rule 9, Section 3, Article 7: A player shall not trip an opponent who is not a runner. These are safety issues. The theory, I would guess, is that a runner is expecting to be hit at any time and from, literaly, any angle. Blocking below the waist can be very dangerous. You're hearing a lot about it now with the NFL restricting hits above the shoulder; analysts - many of them former players - are now saying tacklers are going to go low to avoid the head shots, and that can be a very dangerous hit. Tripping is also legal against the runner only in college.
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I'm not sure why you reference the 3rd and 4th down interval. In college, and as far as I know in the NFL, when the play ends (in this case the pass is incomplete) the 40 second clock starts. If it expires, it's a delay on the offense.
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I am not a member of the fashion police and, thankfully, it is not a part of the rules.
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The three deep officials (defenseive secondary area) are the side judge, back judge (in the middle) and the field judge. Most of the time we like to play with only 11 players on each side -- so we count. And the three deep guys are counting the defense. That thumbs up you see says they each have eleven. If somebody doesn't have eleven, there's no thumbs up. The back judge will hold two hands out signaling each sideline.
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Radio program/music director
Just how good of a radio host do you think Howard Stern is?
Bar Mitzvah DJ
What's the craziest thing you've seen at a bar mitzvah?
Bracketologist
Where do you think the Selection Committee needs the most improvement?
The guy answering is still alive. Does that help?
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Regardless of level, offensive pass interference (OPI) rules begin at the snap. So what you describe, technically, is OPI and illegal. I went to bed early so I didn't see all of the game. Is there contact downfield on many, if not all, plays? Yes. Is it always called? No. Depending on the situation, contact initiated by the receiver might be ignored if the QB was looking the other way the whole time and the play (pass) was thrown away from the contact. Same goes for defensive pass interference. But technically, contact initiated by the offensive player is interference.
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That is not a college or high school rule ad I'm not certain of the NFL rule. And I really can't respond to the philosophy that the NFL Competition Committee uses in creating rules.
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