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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Good point to raise. Officials try to maintain a steady pace, regardless of how fast the offense is going (no huddle, hurry up). However, as time is getting ready to expire in a half, officials will use one ball, the same one that was in the previous play, rather than substitute a new ball. There still has to be an opportunity for the defense to "match up", which means if the offense is subbing (even in a hurry up), the defense has to be given the opportunity to match subs (at least in college rules).
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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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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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The guy answering is still alive. Does that help?
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Didn't see that game and don't know what the ref said. But....
It isn't that the offense has to let the defense get "set"; the defense has to be allowed to "match up" if the offense makes changes late in the 40 second count. For example, if the offense is running a hurry up offense (or no huddle) and they do not substitute, there's no action taken. But the citation is Rule 3-5-2-e: "....Team A [offense] is prohibited from rushing quickly to the line of scrimmage with the obvious attempt of creating a defensive disadvantage. If the ball is ready for play, the game officials will not permit the ball to be snapped until Team B [defense] has placed substitutes in position and replaced players have left the field of play. Team B must react promptly with its substututes." The Referee and other officials will hold their arms out to the side ("iron cross") and the Umpire will stand over the ball preventing a snap.
There's a good deal of interpretation and judgment by the officials on such plays. And it is used often, but most times the defense makes its substitutions and the play goes off normally. Most games, fans don't even know it's happening. Obviously that wasn't the case here.
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I can't answer definitively for the NFL, but in college the answer would be no. In college there is a momentum rule (and a fellow official says he's pretty sure it exists in the NFL, too). It's to prevenrt cheap safeties on good efensive plays like the one you describe. Inside the five, if a player intercepts or receives a punt, then goes into the end zone where he is downed, the ball would come out to the spot of the interception/kick reception. That's why you see officials toss a bean bag at that spot. It would be the defense's ball - in this case Seattle - 1/10 at the 2.
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