The football season is underway, and with it comes the obligatory complaining from the fans about the officiating. So I thought it would be helpful to provide a refresher of what warrants throwing out the yellow penalty flag. So without further ado, here are the most common penalties in the National Football League.
Offensive Penalties
False Start—When an offensive player makes a motion that mimics the start of a play before the football has been snapped. An example of this would be an offensive lineman coming up from his crouch early. This penalty results in the play being immediately whistled dead (stopped) and the offense moving back five yards but maintaining the down (I.E. if the penalty occurred on a first down and 10 yards, the following play would be a first and 15).
Offensive Holding—When an offensive player uses his hands or, more rarely, a different part of his body to “hold” a defensive player in an attempt to prevent the defender from reaching the person possessing the ball. A common instance of holding is when an offensive lineman will hold an opposing team’s edge rusher (check out our Sept. 18 edition for an explanation on what an edge rusher is) to prevent him from sacking the quarterback. This leads to a loss of 10 yards but not a loss of down.
Delay of Game—Football has a game clock with 15 minutes per quarter, but there is also a play clock. An offense has 40 seconds (25 during certain special circumstances) to snap the football. If they fail to do so, a delay of game will be called and the team will be forced to back up five yards, yet they retain their down.
Offensive Pass Interference (OPI)—If an offensive player, when more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage, prevents the defender from making a play on the ball, usually via grabbing or pushing him. This penalty can only occur if there is a pass attempt on the play and is often called when an offensive player thinks it is a running play and is blocking the man guarding him downfield. OPI results in a 10 yard penalty and a repetition of the previous down.
Defensive Penalties
Encroachment—When a defensive player encroaches on the neutral zone (the area between the front nose of the football and the back stretched out across the width of the field to the sidelines) and makes contact with an offensive player or the ball. This results in the play being blown dead before the ball is snapped and a five yard penalty with a repeat of down. The only scenario in which this penalty results in a first down is if the yardage gained from the penalty is enough to get them the required yards for a first down (I.E. if the offense has a second and four and then the defense commits encroachment, granting the offense enough yards for the first down.
Neutral Zone Infraction—Similar to encroachment in that the defender enters the neutral zone pre-snap, but in this case the defender does not make contact with an offensive player. Instead, this is called when an offensive player reacts to the defender’s neutral zone presence in some way (like flinching), or if the defender has an unimpeded route to the backfield. This is also a loss of five yards, replay of the down scenario.
Defensive Holding—If a defensive player grabs hold of an offensive player or his jersey, or wraps his arms around the offensive player, that constitutes holding. This results in a five yard penalty and an automatic first down.
Illegal Contact—Within five yards (assuming the recipient of the snap remains in the pocket): A defender cannot make his first contact with the offensive player’s back, nor can he make legal contact, lose that contact, and then make contact again, if these all occur within the five yard zone. After five yards (again assuming the quarterback is still in the pocket), illegal contact is when the defensive player initiates contact with the offensive player who is attempting to get around him; he must only use his arms to brace himself for contact from the receiver. This penalty results in an automatic first down and a loss of five yards.
Defensive Pass Interference (DPI)—Similar to OPI, but, as the name suggests, the roles are reversed. This more common form of the penalty occurs when the defender contacts the offensive player in such a way that significantly prevents him from getting to the ball. This can only be called from the time the ball is thrown until it is touched and can only be called if the ball is catchable by the receiver who drew the flag, though that provision’s enforcement has been notoriously vague. This penalty really hurts defenses because it results in an automatic first down and is a spot foul, meaning that the offense advances to the spot that the foul occurred.
Roughing the Passer—This penalty is multi-faceted. Sometimes it occurs when a defender hits the quarterback in a vulnerable area, like the head or neck area or the knee. Other times it’s called if a defender hits the quarterback too far after the ball has been released. This penalty is considered especially frowned upon as it often occurs in situations where the quarterback is in a defenseless position and is therefore more susceptible to injury. Thus, the penalty comes with severe consequences including a loss of 15 yards, an automatic first down and even possible disqualification if the referees deem it flagrant.
Both Ways Penalties
Offsides—Significantly more likely to be called against the defense, but also called on rare occasions against the offense. It occurs when a player is lined up in the neutral zone and/or on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. This penalty results in a resetting of down and a loss of five yards.
Facemask—A foul that could be called on either the offense or defense, this is called when a player grabs hold of an opponent’s facemask and does not immediately let it go. In practice this usually manifests with a player grabbing and twisting at someone’s facemask while trying to block or make a tackle. This results in a 15 yard penalty and a retention of down.
Personal Foul—Some of the penalties I have already mentioned constitute personal fouls (roughing the passer, facemask), but broadly they can be described as excessively flagrant infractions that, even more than normal tackle football, cause an increased risk to the health and safety of an opposing player. These automatically carry 15 yard penalties.
