Football Penalties
What is a 'delay of game'?
Delay of game is when a 25 second clock reaches zero and the offensive team has not snapped the ball. It is a five yard penalty.
What is 'offsides'?
Offside's can be either on the offense or defense and when the ball is snapped, before the ball is snapped if the defensive player goes into a line of scrimmage and he touches an offensive player, it is considered an offside's. If the ball is not snapped yet and the offensive player jumps or moves, it is considered as offside's and it is a five yard penalty.
What is 'encroachment'?
Encroachment is another word for offside's. It's when the defensive player is in what's called the neutral zone. It's in the one yard area between the offensive line and the defensive line. And if the defensive player is in the zone when the ball is snapped, it's called encroachment.
What is a 'false start'?
False start is just another name for offside's on the offense. If the ball is not snapped yet and the quarterback's in his cadence, if an offensive lineman jumps or if a receiver jumps, that's considered a false start.
What is 'holding'?
Holding is a great penalty, because holding happens on every single play in football. It just depends on when they're going to call it. Offensive linemen hold on every play, and we all know that. And defensive backs hold on every play too. It's just a matter of when they're going to call it. Basically what happens is, if an offensive player is blocking a defensive lineman and he tries to get away, if the referee sees jersey coming, he'll throw a flag, which is a ten yard penalty.
What is 'pass interference'?
Pass interference can be called on either the offensive player or defensive player and basically what it inheres is that a player obstructs the other players ability to get to the football. So it's not that the player is going down the field and the ball is in the air and the defensive player intentionally hits the receiver or pulls the jersey it's called pass interference. If the defensive player has a ability to make an interception and the receiver obstructs his ability to get to the ball then it's considered offensive pass interference. So it can go either way and it's a fifteen yard penalty.
What is 'unsportsmanlike conduct'?
Unsportsmanlike conduct is when an offensive/defensive player basically does not adhere to the rules of the game from an official. If the official makes a call and an offensive/defensive player is, doesn't like the call, he might get in a referee's face and say some things he shouldn't say and that's a fifteen yard penalty, and if you get two of those in a game you're ejected.
What is 'unnecessary roughness'?
Unnecessary roughness is when a player is down by contact and a offensive-defensive player tends to hurt the other guy after the whistle. It's also when a quarterback throws the ball and the ball's out of his hand and the defensive tackle hits him after the whistle or after the ball's released. It's a 15 yard penalty and an automatic first down.
What is a 'personal foul'?
A personal foul is after the whistle's been blown dead. Say that quarter back throws the ball and the receiver catches it and is tackled down, and then someone just goes and tries to take the quarter back out, that's a 15 yard penalty. Also if your punter punts the ball away and the ball's already gone, if somebody trying to block the ball roughs them up, that's considered a personal foul which is also a 15 yard penalty. Also, on offense, if a defensive lineman is just standing around and the whistle's blown and someone tries to take him out that's also considered a personal foul. It's 15 yards.
What is a 'facemask penalty'?
There's two different kinds of facemask penalties. There's a fifteen yard penalty when they consider that the person making the tackle intentionally grabbed the facemask and held onto it. There's also a facemask penalty that's a five yard penalty which is just grabbing the facemask but letting go of it right away. So there's two different kinds of penalties. One is a five yard penalty, no first down. The fifteen yard one is a personal foul one, that's an automatic first down.
What is a 'chop block'?
A chop block is when a defensive lineman is engaged with an offensive lineman, and say the center's engaged with a nose tackle, and the guard cuts the defensive nose tackle. That's a chop block. You cannot block a guard below the waist while he's engaged with another player. It's a fifteen yard penalty.
What is 'clipping'?
Clipping is when an offensive player, whether it be a receiver, a tight end, or an offensive lineman, blocks someone illegally in the back. So, if a running back got through the hole and is downfield and the receiver blocks a defensive player in the back, that's what's called clipping, and it's also a 15-yard penalty.
What is 'intentional grounding'?
Intentional grounding regards the quarterback; there is no one in the vicinity of his throw and he is within the tackle box. If the quarterback gets outside the tackle box, as long as he throws the ball to the line of scrimmage, it is not considered intentional grounding but if the quarterback is inside the tackle box and he is trying to avoid a sack so he throws the ball away, and there is no one in a 10 yard vicinity of that area, it is considered intentional grounding.
