“Any good high school official who is competent would have no problem officiating a game showcasing the A-11 scheme. It’s really no big deal. We’ve had no complaints from any officials whatsoever that have refereed their games.”
Sam Moriana
Head of East Bay Football Officials Association
Northern California
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, August 1, 2008
AN OFFICIAL PERSPECTIVE
I am an official in the South Bay region in southern California and a traditionalist. I was not sold when I first heard about the A-11, but after getting the chance watch it run, I am convinced that executed correctly it has the potential to be an extremely productive offense. What the A-11 does, if run correctly that other offenses cannot accomplish, is it marginalizes the advantages of a team who has a size advantage defensively. The A-11 increases the amount of area to be covered by each interior defensive player, forcing either: personnel changes and modifications to more traditional defenses, or both.
The versatility of the A-11 allows it to be used by coaches who have quarterbacks with all different skill sets. Running quarterbacks can be effective in the run-and-shoot type plays based out of the offense, relying on slants, dump offs, swings and designed runs. Big arm quarterbacks can also be effective in this system due to mismatches created outside. Due to the high number of wide outs, teams will be forced to match up defensive backs in one-on-one situations. Overall, if the offense is executed correctly, it can be extremely beneficial for any team, but especially teams who are undersized and have speed and quickness.
Daniel Greenberg
Football Official, South Bay Region
Southern California
The versatility of the A-11 allows it to be used by coaches who have quarterbacks with all different skill sets. Running quarterbacks can be effective in the run-and-shoot type plays based out of the offense, relying on slants, dump offs, swings and designed runs. Big arm quarterbacks can also be effective in this system due to mismatches created outside. Due to the high number of wide outs, teams will be forced to match up defensive backs in one-on-one situations. Overall, if the offense is executed correctly, it can be extremely beneficial for any team, but especially teams who are undersized and have speed and quickness.
Daniel Greenberg
Football Official, South Bay Region
Southern California
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
OFFICIATING PHILOSOPHY AND THE A-11 OFFENSE
By: Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years of Officiating High School (Indiana) and worked Five State Final Games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
No two officials have the exact same philosophy of officiating. Indeed, we’re all in a constant state of evolving our own philosophies. Hopefully, the guys on your crew share most of them (or there will be chaos).
Most of us agree on some basics. All fouls don’t necessarily need to be flagged. If they are highly technical and the infraction has no basis in creating an advantage for a team, then it could be a “talk to”. For instance, you are a wing and the tight end on your side has about 2 molecules of his helmet penetrating his neutral zone. Most of us would agree that this doesn’t necessitate a flag. The first opportunity you (or your referee) needs to inform him “89, you need to get back a bit- you’re crowding the neutral zone” – or something like that.
Games are full of these technical infractions that we all have to make a decision: should I or shouldn’t I? A wide-out that is set for eight tenths of a second before a snap, an interior linemen that ever so slightly moves an instant before the snap, a snapper that lifts his head up just before a snap, the “kicker” in the scrimmage kick formation is 6.5 yards behind the snapper and not 7. Some of us will call all of these. Most of us will call none of these. What officials learn over time is that these kinds of calls add nothing to the fairness of the game. What they do is single you out from all the rest of the crews that coaches will see that year and probably reflects negatively on your crew when it comes time for the coaches (athletic directors) or other who decide who progresses in your state playoff system to make that decision. Do you want to be right, or do you want to progress? These are decisions we all have to make on almost every play.
I think, as a whole, officials are a very conservative lot. They take their role very seriously and want to make sure that the games they work are played on a level playing field. I think it’s safe to say also that most of us take a dim view of “trick offenses”, especially when these “tricks” are sometimes played on us as well as the opposition. I think it’s imperative that any coach anticipating using the A-11 at any time during a game inform the officials in their pre-game meeting. Officials appreciate this “heads up” and will not appreciate it being sprung on them without warning.
Coaches who decide to employ the A-11 in any form need to understand that most crews will have a zero tolerance policy of formations that are “close” or “almost” legal. I expect that a flanker who accidently creeps up so that some part of him is intersecting any part of the split end on his side will be declared in “no man’s land” (not clearly ON the line of scrimmage and not clearly IN the backfield). You should expect nowhere near the tolerance that you would get in a more traditional formation. There must be seven men on the line of scrimmage on every play. It’s sometimes difficult to succeed in that requirement even when using more traditional formations. Younger more inexperienced players may have a difficult time getting lined up. Not all games are played on beautifully marked field turf fields. Some games are played on poorly marked fields with little or no grass. Poor field markings will make it even more difficult to get seven players spread over the entire field on the line of scrimmage.
Coaches employing the formation should also realize that the opposing coach will in all likelihood be inside his wing official’s shorts the rest of the evening. Our job is difficult enough under “normal” circumstances. Officials are not likely to love this offense, but rather view it as legal and one they are going to have to learn to deal with. They are likely to have some bias against it and, very likely look very hard for some technical infraction to call. This reinforces the statement I made about making sure as a coach that you are dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” when you employ it. Formations MUST be legal. The shifting before the snap MUST conform to the rulebook. Close will not be enough.
Philosophically, another area of discussion is the aspect of protecting the snapper on every play in the A-11. I’ve said in a previous article that as an umpire I will protect that snapper from any cheap or rough play immediately after the snap, but I will make sure he knows that I expect him to get his head back up and protect himself as quickly as possible after the snap. If he delays bringing his head back up after the snap, he doesn’t deserve the same level of protection. I would inform him quickly, “57, get your head up and protect yourself”. I will usually take the first opportunity to explain to the head coach or special teams coach what I told 57.
If you’re fortunate enough to know ahead of time that you are likely to see the A-11 in a game, that will at least give you the opportunity to deal with it in your pre-game meeting. But more likely you will, at best, find out during your pre-game meeting with your coaches. When that happens, you will have to rely on your instincts and experience to get you through. Stay true to your philosophy – it got you to that game.
By:
Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years of Officiating High School (Indiana) and worked Five State Final Games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
34 years of Officiating High School (Indiana) and worked Five State Final Games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
No two officials have the exact same philosophy of officiating. Indeed, we’re all in a constant state of evolving our own philosophies. Hopefully, the guys on your crew share most of them (or there will be chaos).
Most of us agree on some basics. All fouls don’t necessarily need to be flagged. If they are highly technical and the infraction has no basis in creating an advantage for a team, then it could be a “talk to”. For instance, you are a wing and the tight end on your side has about 2 molecules of his helmet penetrating his neutral zone. Most of us would agree that this doesn’t necessitate a flag. The first opportunity you (or your referee) needs to inform him “89, you need to get back a bit- you’re crowding the neutral zone” – or something like that.
Games are full of these technical infractions that we all have to make a decision: should I or shouldn’t I? A wide-out that is set for eight tenths of a second before a snap, an interior linemen that ever so slightly moves an instant before the snap, a snapper that lifts his head up just before a snap, the “kicker” in the scrimmage kick formation is 6.5 yards behind the snapper and not 7. Some of us will call all of these. Most of us will call none of these. What officials learn over time is that these kinds of calls add nothing to the fairness of the game. What they do is single you out from all the rest of the crews that coaches will see that year and probably reflects negatively on your crew when it comes time for the coaches (athletic directors) or other who decide who progresses in your state playoff system to make that decision. Do you want to be right, or do you want to progress? These are decisions we all have to make on almost every play.
I think, as a whole, officials are a very conservative lot. They take their role very seriously and want to make sure that the games they work are played on a level playing field. I think it’s safe to say also that most of us take a dim view of “trick offenses”, especially when these “tricks” are sometimes played on us as well as the opposition. I think it’s imperative that any coach anticipating using the A-11 at any time during a game inform the officials in their pre-game meeting. Officials appreciate this “heads up” and will not appreciate it being sprung on them without warning.
Coaches who decide to employ the A-11 in any form need to understand that most crews will have a zero tolerance policy of formations that are “close” or “almost” legal. I expect that a flanker who accidently creeps up so that some part of him is intersecting any part of the split end on his side will be declared in “no man’s land” (not clearly ON the line of scrimmage and not clearly IN the backfield). You should expect nowhere near the tolerance that you would get in a more traditional formation. There must be seven men on the line of scrimmage on every play. It’s sometimes difficult to succeed in that requirement even when using more traditional formations. Younger more inexperienced players may have a difficult time getting lined up. Not all games are played on beautifully marked field turf fields. Some games are played on poorly marked fields with little or no grass. Poor field markings will make it even more difficult to get seven players spread over the entire field on the line of scrimmage.
Coaches employing the formation should also realize that the opposing coach will in all likelihood be inside his wing official’s shorts the rest of the evening. Our job is difficult enough under “normal” circumstances. Officials are not likely to love this offense, but rather view it as legal and one they are going to have to learn to deal with. They are likely to have some bias against it and, very likely look very hard for some technical infraction to call. This reinforces the statement I made about making sure as a coach that you are dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” when you employ it. Formations MUST be legal. The shifting before the snap MUST conform to the rulebook. Close will not be enough.
Philosophically, another area of discussion is the aspect of protecting the snapper on every play in the A-11. I’ve said in a previous article that as an umpire I will protect that snapper from any cheap or rough play immediately after the snap, but I will make sure he knows that I expect him to get his head back up and protect himself as quickly as possible after the snap. If he delays bringing his head back up after the snap, he doesn’t deserve the same level of protection. I would inform him quickly, “57, get your head up and protect yourself”. I will usually take the first opportunity to explain to the head coach or special teams coach what I told 57.
If you’re fortunate enough to know ahead of time that you are likely to see the A-11 in a game, that will at least give you the opportunity to deal with it in your pre-game meeting. But more likely you will, at best, find out during your pre-game meeting with your coaches. When that happens, you will have to rely on your instincts and experience to get you through. Stay true to your philosophy – it got you to that game.
By:
Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years of Officiating High School (Indiana) and worked Five State Final Games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
5 - MAN OFFICIATING MECHANICS AND THE A-11 OFFENSE
By: Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
Now that we’ve accepted the legality of the A-11, we as officials must get ready to officiate it. So far I have only been able to see this new offensive scheme on video. I haven’t personally yet been challenged with dealing with it on a first-hand basis. But we should all be able to apply standard 5-man mechanics and get ourselves prepared to work a game where the A-11 or some offshoot of it is used.
The primary stress will be on the wings (the Linesman and Line Judge- L & LJ). As offenses have gotten more wide-open and the athletes have gotten bigger and faster, it has become widely accepted that unlike perhaps 15-20 years ago the wings of today need to start EVERY play on the sideline. Cheating in will provide no benefit and with the A-11 I can see nothing but problems for the wings that don’t follow the advice to stay wide.
The A-11’s biggest challenge to officials (primarily the wings) is determining who is eligible and who is ineligible. The wings have always been active participants in determining this. When a “flanker” mistakenly takes a position up on the line, therefore making himself ineligible by position in that the split end has now covered him, it has always been the wing on that side that had to make that call. If it was a running play, you had nothing. If it was a forward pass play (where the pass went beyond the neutral zone), you had at least a potential problem. That wing was the only official on the field that knew for certain that the flanker was ineligible. It’s really no different when presented with the A-11.
Realize that all 11 players (where the “A-11” got it’s name) may have “eligible” numbers. Each wingman on EVERY play must make a determination what players on his side of the ball are eligible by position and which players are ineligible. The standard hand signals (punching the widest player to your side) will, as always be helpful, but that signal alone will be woefully inadequate by itself. You will need to make a mental note of all the players inside the end on your side of the field that are ineligible by position on that play. Remembering those numbers will be especially important in the event of a broken play that becomes somewhat chaotic and a “desperation” pass is thrown downfield. Were any of the players you determined to be ineligible downfield? However, those kinds of broken play situations have been happening in football for many years, and will always happen.
You can expect only a small amount of help from your umpire. With players spread out all over the field, the umpire will be memorizing the numbers of the snapper and any linemen on either side of the snapper. Even then, the umpire may have to determine if any of THEM may be eligible by position.
Staying “in the game” and being particularly alert during dead ball periods will become essential. If at the end of a play you can’t recite back to yourself what player numbers were ineligible on your side, you were not focused enough to be doing the job you are being paid for. More importantly, you are not doing the job your crew needs you to perform.
The umpire’s perspective is also unique when working with the A-11 offense. Remember, the basis of the A-11 is that the team is essentially in a scrimmage kick formation on every play. One aspect of the umpire’s responsibility on scrimmage kick formation plays is that the snapper should be protected on EVERY PLAY. How protected? As an umpire, I will make sure that the snapper receives no cheap shots from the player across from him. It might be wise and good preventive officiating to let the defense know about the restriction (“Let the snapper get his head up before you hit him”). That does NOT, however, extend beyond a time I feel that the snapper should be able to get his head back up and protect himself. All too often since the definition of the scrimmage kick formation and the development of the rule guarding the snapper on these plays, I have found long snappers who keep their heads down between their legs far beyond the time that is reasonable or safe. I can only conclude that they are being coached to do so in order to get that roughing call that would give the offense an extra 15 yards and an automatic first down. Whenever I see this I immediately warn the snapper that I want and expect him to get his head up and protect himself as soon as possible – I am NOT going to make a cheap roughing call based on his delay. Whenever I make this warning I make sure to inform the line coach (or special teams coach) that I have informed the snapper of this. Protect him? Absolutely. Provide an easy and cheap foul? That’s not what I believe the rule was written to do.
All officials need to remember that the free blocking zone is defined without concern about where the players are lined up – it’s four yards on either side of the snapper. We all also need to know that the ball will leave the FBZ almost immediately after the snap. Players within the A-11 offensive scheme will have little or no ability to block below the waist, clip, or block in the back on ANY play. That FBZ will disintegrate almost immediately after every snap.
Back judges – your ability to determine eligibles will be negligible. There will need to be a lot of pre-game discussion between the wings and BJ about who is going to be covering what players. I see no way around simply reverting to a Zone type coverage. Be prepared to recite to your covering wing what players you had downfield on that play to make sure these numbers agree with the ones he had as ineligible.
Referees need to make sure they play a little wider than their normal position also. He needs to make sure that the deepest player is always positioned with his heels at least 7-yards behind the line of scrimmage, to make sure the formation meets all the requirements of a scrimmage kick formation. Realize the deepest player may not actually receive the snap, but rather the snap may be taken by one of the up backs (legal).
All officials need to make sure if there is shifting involved, that the team complies with all the requirements of a legal shift. Were they set for one second after a shift?
If nothing else, when crews are going to be faced with working a game where a team is known to utilize the A-11, it will make the pre-game discussions all the more important. If for no other reason, I applaud the A-11 because it will do more than anything to shake all of us out of our “rut” and the thinking that we’ve worked together for 20 years and we don’t need a pre-game anymore. This offense is going to make all of us work a little harder and communicate a little better than we ever have done before.
Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
Now that we’ve accepted the legality of the A-11, we as officials must get ready to officiate it. So far I have only been able to see this new offensive scheme on video. I haven’t personally yet been challenged with dealing with it on a first-hand basis. But we should all be able to apply standard 5-man mechanics and get ourselves prepared to work a game where the A-11 or some offshoot of it is used.
The primary stress will be on the wings (the Linesman and Line Judge- L & LJ). As offenses have gotten more wide-open and the athletes have gotten bigger and faster, it has become widely accepted that unlike perhaps 15-20 years ago the wings of today need to start EVERY play on the sideline. Cheating in will provide no benefit and with the A-11 I can see nothing but problems for the wings that don’t follow the advice to stay wide.
The A-11’s biggest challenge to officials (primarily the wings) is determining who is eligible and who is ineligible. The wings have always been active participants in determining this. When a “flanker” mistakenly takes a position up on the line, therefore making himself ineligible by position in that the split end has now covered him, it has always been the wing on that side that had to make that call. If it was a running play, you had nothing. If it was a forward pass play (where the pass went beyond the neutral zone), you had at least a potential problem. That wing was the only official on the field that knew for certain that the flanker was ineligible. It’s really no different when presented with the A-11.
Realize that all 11 players (where the “A-11” got it’s name) may have “eligible” numbers. Each wingman on EVERY play must make a determination what players on his side of the ball are eligible by position and which players are ineligible. The standard hand signals (punching the widest player to your side) will, as always be helpful, but that signal alone will be woefully inadequate by itself. You will need to make a mental note of all the players inside the end on your side of the field that are ineligible by position on that play. Remembering those numbers will be especially important in the event of a broken play that becomes somewhat chaotic and a “desperation” pass is thrown downfield. Were any of the players you determined to be ineligible downfield? However, those kinds of broken play situations have been happening in football for many years, and will always happen.
You can expect only a small amount of help from your umpire. With players spread out all over the field, the umpire will be memorizing the numbers of the snapper and any linemen on either side of the snapper. Even then, the umpire may have to determine if any of THEM may be eligible by position.
Staying “in the game” and being particularly alert during dead ball periods will become essential. If at the end of a play you can’t recite back to yourself what player numbers were ineligible on your side, you were not focused enough to be doing the job you are being paid for. More importantly, you are not doing the job your crew needs you to perform.
The umpire’s perspective is also unique when working with the A-11 offense. Remember, the basis of the A-11 is that the team is essentially in a scrimmage kick formation on every play. One aspect of the umpire’s responsibility on scrimmage kick formation plays is that the snapper should be protected on EVERY PLAY. How protected? As an umpire, I will make sure that the snapper receives no cheap shots from the player across from him. It might be wise and good preventive officiating to let the defense know about the restriction (“Let the snapper get his head up before you hit him”). That does NOT, however, extend beyond a time I feel that the snapper should be able to get his head back up and protect himself. All too often since the definition of the scrimmage kick formation and the development of the rule guarding the snapper on these plays, I have found long snappers who keep their heads down between their legs far beyond the time that is reasonable or safe. I can only conclude that they are being coached to do so in order to get that roughing call that would give the offense an extra 15 yards and an automatic first down. Whenever I see this I immediately warn the snapper that I want and expect him to get his head up and protect himself as soon as possible – I am NOT going to make a cheap roughing call based on his delay. Whenever I make this warning I make sure to inform the line coach (or special teams coach) that I have informed the snapper of this. Protect him? Absolutely. Provide an easy and cheap foul? That’s not what I believe the rule was written to do.
All officials need to remember that the free blocking zone is defined without concern about where the players are lined up – it’s four yards on either side of the snapper. We all also need to know that the ball will leave the FBZ almost immediately after the snap. Players within the A-11 offensive scheme will have little or no ability to block below the waist, clip, or block in the back on ANY play. That FBZ will disintegrate almost immediately after every snap.
Back judges – your ability to determine eligibles will be negligible. There will need to be a lot of pre-game discussion between the wings and BJ about who is going to be covering what players. I see no way around simply reverting to a Zone type coverage. Be prepared to recite to your covering wing what players you had downfield on that play to make sure these numbers agree with the ones he had as ineligible.
Referees need to make sure they play a little wider than their normal position also. He needs to make sure that the deepest player is always positioned with his heels at least 7-yards behind the line of scrimmage, to make sure the formation meets all the requirements of a scrimmage kick formation. Realize the deepest player may not actually receive the snap, but rather the snap may be taken by one of the up backs (legal).
All officials need to make sure if there is shifting involved, that the team complies with all the requirements of a legal shift. Were they set for one second after a shift?
If nothing else, when crews are going to be faced with working a game where a team is known to utilize the A-11, it will make the pre-game discussions all the more important. If for no other reason, I applaud the A-11 because it will do more than anything to shake all of us out of our “rut” and the thinking that we’ve worked together for 20 years and we don’t need a pre-game anymore. This offense is going to make all of us work a little harder and communicate a little better than we ever have done before.
Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
Sunday, April 20, 2008
THE A-11 OFFENSE – AN “EXCEPTION” TO THE RULE?
Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
Like many of you out there, when I first heard of the “A-11” offense it was late last season. As it was detailed to me through word-of-mouth, I was SURE it had to be illegal and equally sure that whatever coach used it must have had some pretty inept officials working his games to allow it to go un-penalized. It wasn’t until I researched this new offense more thoroughly that I became convinced it did, indeed, conform to the rule 7-2-5b (exception) – the rule we all know as the “numbering exception.”
The most critical aspect of this offense in its design is how the players break the huddle. Piedmont High School Head Coach, Kurt Bryan & Assistant, Steve Humphries (co-creators of the A-11) are either an astute duo of students regarding the NFHS Rule Book or they had wise counsel from some officials. If when an A-11 team breaks the huddle they would come to the line and “initially set” with 7 players on the line of scrimmage (LOS), and 4 in the backfield in the A-11 offensive formation(s), and they did NOT shift, there would be no problem. Players in the game under the “exception” rule would have taken an initial position on the LOS between the ends, and as long as there is a player 7-yards or more behind the snapper (2-14-2), then yes, we do have a legal scrimmage kick formation.
However, one of the unique aspects of this offense is to show one look while the players remain OFF the L.O.S., but then get set or shift into another formation before the snap. This puts added pressure on the defense to recognize which players are eligible receivers and which are not on the certain play. This would create a major rules issue IF the team broke from the huddle and got set in one of the many variants of the A-11. According to 7-2-5b (exception), a player in the game under the numbering exception “must assume an initial position on his line of scrimmage between the ends and he remains an ineligible forward pass receiver during that down”.
In order to allow some sort of “shifting” the Piedmont coaches devised a legal way around the wording in 7-5-2b (exception). In their offensive scheme, when the team breaks the huddle only the snapper and possible 2 linemen next to the snapper might take an initial position on the L.O.S. The remaining players spread out over the field and as mentioned before, they remain in the backfield in some sort of continuous motion – never “setting”. Legally, they can and do continue to move forward and backward while remaining Off the L.O.S., but never committing to being on the L.O.S. Then on Cue from the Quarterback, the appropriate & designated players on that play will eventually commit to being on the L.O.S. by either stepping forward or remaining in the backfield. The players who step forward onto the L.O.S. get set for at least one second and the snap is made. Of course the entire A-11 unit must be set for at least one second prior to the snap, unless there is one player who happen to be in motion.
Deceptive? Yes or No? It depends on whom you ask? Legal? 100% Yes!
Why is it legal? Because there is no rule as to how quickly a player must get set onto the L.O.S. prior to the snap. A perfect example of that is the No-Huddle offense in which an entire offensive team can be moving, shifting and running around all over the place behind the L.O.S. before executing their next play.
I have discussed this offensive scheme with several colleagues here in Indiana - guys I consider excellent rules officials. Everyone has some initial negative reaction. But when they look at how the offense is run, they all slowly become convinced that yes, it does comply with all aspects of 7-1-7 a & b, and 7-2-5b (exception). Some have even tried to apply the “unfair acts” rule (9-9-4), which states, “Neither team shall commit any act which, in the opinion of the Referee, tends to make a travesty of the game.”
Gentlemen (and Ladies), the Forward Pass was once considered such a “travesty of the game.” Deception IS a major part of the game!
“Three yards and a cloud of dust” left the game with Woody Hayes. Offenses are meant to be deceptive. As officials, our job is to determine if the deception falls within the letter and the spirit of the rules. If and when there is a major outcry by some unhappy coaches nationwide; who, for their own personal reasons do not believe in the philosophy of an offense like the A-11, that would force the Federation to maybe change their rules to exclude an offense like the A-11 – then this offense is here to stay.
Is the A-11 good for the game of football? Yes, without a doubt.
Do some coaches and officials hate it? Yes, without a doubt.
I, for one, have looked at this new offense from every conceivable viewpoint. I admit to being one of its biggest detractors when I first learned of it. I have now come to the conclusion it is without a doubt legal under Federation rules. That means we, as officials must learn how to officiate it properly.
Dealing with the A-11 offense utilizing the standard 5-man officiating crew mechanics will be the subject of future articles I will tackle. Then, I’d like to have a discussion of how the A-11 might change your philosophy of officiating just a little bit.
Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
Like many of you out there, when I first heard of the “A-11” offense it was late last season. As it was detailed to me through word-of-mouth, I was SURE it had to be illegal and equally sure that whatever coach used it must have had some pretty inept officials working his games to allow it to go un-penalized. It wasn’t until I researched this new offense more thoroughly that I became convinced it did, indeed, conform to the rule 7-2-5b (exception) – the rule we all know as the “numbering exception.”
The most critical aspect of this offense in its design is how the players break the huddle. Piedmont High School Head Coach, Kurt Bryan & Assistant, Steve Humphries (co-creators of the A-11) are either an astute duo of students regarding the NFHS Rule Book or they had wise counsel from some officials. If when an A-11 team breaks the huddle they would come to the line and “initially set” with 7 players on the line of scrimmage (LOS), and 4 in the backfield in the A-11 offensive formation(s), and they did NOT shift, there would be no problem. Players in the game under the “exception” rule would have taken an initial position on the LOS between the ends, and as long as there is a player 7-yards or more behind the snapper (2-14-2), then yes, we do have a legal scrimmage kick formation.
However, one of the unique aspects of this offense is to show one look while the players remain OFF the L.O.S., but then get set or shift into another formation before the snap. This puts added pressure on the defense to recognize which players are eligible receivers and which are not on the certain play. This would create a major rules issue IF the team broke from the huddle and got set in one of the many variants of the A-11. According to 7-2-5b (exception), a player in the game under the numbering exception “must assume an initial position on his line of scrimmage between the ends and he remains an ineligible forward pass receiver during that down”.
In order to allow some sort of “shifting” the Piedmont coaches devised a legal way around the wording in 7-5-2b (exception). In their offensive scheme, when the team breaks the huddle only the snapper and possible 2 linemen next to the snapper might take an initial position on the L.O.S. The remaining players spread out over the field and as mentioned before, they remain in the backfield in some sort of continuous motion – never “setting”. Legally, they can and do continue to move forward and backward while remaining Off the L.O.S., but never committing to being on the L.O.S. Then on Cue from the Quarterback, the appropriate & designated players on that play will eventually commit to being on the L.O.S. by either stepping forward or remaining in the backfield. The players who step forward onto the L.O.S. get set for at least one second and the snap is made. Of course the entire A-11 unit must be set for at least one second prior to the snap, unless there is one player who happen to be in motion.
Deceptive? Yes or No? It depends on whom you ask? Legal? 100% Yes!
Why is it legal? Because there is no rule as to how quickly a player must get set onto the L.O.S. prior to the snap. A perfect example of that is the No-Huddle offense in which an entire offensive team can be moving, shifting and running around all over the place behind the L.O.S. before executing their next play.
I have discussed this offensive scheme with several colleagues here in Indiana - guys I consider excellent rules officials. Everyone has some initial negative reaction. But when they look at how the offense is run, they all slowly become convinced that yes, it does comply with all aspects of 7-1-7 a & b, and 7-2-5b (exception). Some have even tried to apply the “unfair acts” rule (9-9-4), which states, “Neither team shall commit any act which, in the opinion of the Referee, tends to make a travesty of the game.”
Gentlemen (and Ladies), the Forward Pass was once considered such a “travesty of the game.” Deception IS a major part of the game!
“Three yards and a cloud of dust” left the game with Woody Hayes. Offenses are meant to be deceptive. As officials, our job is to determine if the deception falls within the letter and the spirit of the rules. If and when there is a major outcry by some unhappy coaches nationwide; who, for their own personal reasons do not believe in the philosophy of an offense like the A-11, that would force the Federation to maybe change their rules to exclude an offense like the A-11 – then this offense is here to stay.
Is the A-11 good for the game of football? Yes, without a doubt.
Do some coaches and officials hate it? Yes, without a doubt.
I, for one, have looked at this new offense from every conceivable viewpoint. I admit to being one of its biggest detractors when I first learned of it. I have now come to the conclusion it is without a doubt legal under Federation rules. That means we, as officials must learn how to officiate it properly.
Dealing with the A-11 offense utilizing the standard 5-man officiating crew mechanics will be the subject of future articles I will tackle. Then, I’d like to have a discussion of how the A-11 might change your philosophy of officiating just a little bit.
Todd Clark (Umpire)
34 years officiating high school football (Indiana) & worked Five State Final games
tclark@creeksidevets.com
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