1 October 2010 - Inside American Football

y the disadvantage of having to run it
from a stationary position (apart from
one man in motion). The defence have
the disadvantage of not knowing the
play, but balanced by a brief time to
read the formation.
Key Point – illegal shift and illegal
motion are live ball fouls. That is to
say they are not a foul until the ball is
actually snapped. If a team mess up
and mistakenly put two men in motion
then it is not a foul until they snap the
ball. It is a common misconception to
think that this is a foul straight away.
If they haven’t snapped the ball, it isn’t
yet a foul. Indeed, if they realise their
mistake and have everyone stop for a
second, then they are OK.
A common mistake is for the motion
man to start his motion a little too
early, that is to say, while one or more
of his teammates are still getting into
position. Once the ball is snapped, then
this is a foul for an illegal shift since
there was never a point at which they
were all stationary for a full second
Accepted practice -the QB can move
his leg to signal to his motion man
to begin his motion. This has been
accepted practice in football
circles for years and does not
constitute a second man moving
and thus making it a shift and not
motion.
Final thought.
The Ref’s tip to the man in
motion? Take the time to check
that all your team-mates have
stopped moving for a second
before you start your motion. It’s
worth the investment of a second
to take a look to save losing 5
yards.
BAFRA
October July 2010 - Inside American Football
91