Module 9 - Offense: Penalties & Situations

In this module, we will cover:

1. Pre & Post Snap Offensive Penalties

2. Blocking: Non-Negotiable Penalty

3. Situational Calls/Decisions

• Next Module: Module 10 - Defense: Penalties & Situations

• Previous Module: Module 8 - Gameplay Overview: Offense & Defense

• See All Referee Training Modules

If you have any questions, please email training@nextlevelsports.com.

0:00 Next level refs, and also inviting a lot of our student coaches, in module 9 of our referee training, we’re gonna dive into the offensive penalty list in certain situations we need to be aware of. There are a lot of rules we’re gonna go over, so bear with me, stay locked in, and if you have any questions, email training@nextlevelsports.com.

0:24 Let’s start with pre-snap penalties for offense only. The three kinds we see are delay of game, false start, and illegal motion. You are all football players, you should know what these are. Delay of game is a 30-second play clock violation. False start is any inadvertent movement—twitching, stepping, etc. Stepping downfield before the ball is snapped. Illegal motion would be two players in motion when the ball is snapped, or maybe you have a player getting a running start, like in the CFL. We don’t allow that.

0:56 We assess these penalties on a case-by-case basis. If the ball is on the 40-yard line, whether it’s 1st and 20, 2nd and 20, or 3rd and 20, it’s a loss of down penalty. If it's 3rd down and a delay of game happens, it’s a turnover. If a false start happens on 2nd down, on the 40, it goes to 3rd down. No yards are lost, we don’t move the ball back to the 45. We don’t want games butting up against each other. If any of these penalties happen down the field, on the 30, the 20, or the 1-yard line, they are 5-yard penalties.

1:33 Delay of game penalties are a bit stricter. These are a 5-yard penalty and loss of down. We want to emphasize getting plays off. Don’t delay the game. False starts and illegal motions are 5 yards back and a repeat of the down. Again, no penalties on the 40-yard line, just simply a loss of down.

1:49 A quick note here: for our younger kids—kindergartners, 1st graders, 2nd graders—be a little lenient with them in the first couple weeks. They’re learning the motions and trying to understand gameplay. If they’re a little twitchy, just stop the ball, get lined up, and try it again. By week 4 or 5, they’ll get a lot better.

2:06 Moving on to post-snap penalties for offense, we’re going to start with blocking. I’m going to be very clear here: this is a non-negotiable penalty. If you ever see an offensive player who doesn’t have the ball push, screen, or interfere with the defender’s ability to pull the ball carrier’s flag, that’s a penalty, and the flag must be thrown. At Next Level, we emphasize safety. This is a safety-based rule. No forcible or intentional contact of any kind.

2:29 And again, these penalties are all 5-yard penalties and a loss of down. Flag guarding is the most subjective thing that you’ll see on any play. It happens all the time. My biggest recommendation is: if you see it early, throw the penalty. It shows all the players that you’re in charge. If you let it slide early in the game, it’s going to happen all the time. This can include hitting hands with your offhand, having your hand on the ball, hitting the player's hand, using your arm as a shield to protect your flags, stiff arms, etc.

3:09 Diving is another safety-based rule. If I’m on offense and it’s 3rd and 2 from the 22-yard line, I can’t dive headfirst to achieve that first down or get in the end zone. We cannot leave our feet with the ball to achieve more yards. That’s a penalty—5 yards back, loss of down.

3:20 No charging, no trucking, and no stiff arms. Those are all safety-based rules. Again, if this penalty happens when it’s 3rd down and 10 from the 30-yard line, it would be a turnover. They’re all loss of downs.

3:39 Some situational calls we need to be aware of as we wrap up. If I’m running down the field with the ball and my flag falls off on its own, what happens?

3:49 Here’s what we like to say: if I’m running through traffic, bobbing and weaving, and my flag falls off, blow the whistle. The play is dead.

3:56 On the other hand, if I’m running down the field and I’m at the 10, the 5, the 3, and I have a clear path to the end zone, and my flag falls off on its own, well—hey, he was gonna score. We’ll give him the touchdown. Use your discretion and own the call.

4:06 If I’m a running back or a receiver, and I get a handoff or catch the pass and I only have two flags on—one flag is missing that I started the play with— I’m down right where I received the ball or got the handoff. Just blow it dead and remind everybody: hey, check your flags, make sure you got all three on every play.

4:22 Side note for our younger kids: sometimes they mess around and pull the offensive player’s flag before the play starts. That’s an illegal flag pull. It rarely happens, but if you see it, it’s a 5-yard penalty.

4:36 An important note as we wrap up: if the first down is achieved. For example, let’s say it’s 3rd down and 3 on the 23-yard line. I’m on offense, and I get the handoff. I cross the 20, I get the first down, and then I flag guard on the 15. How we rule that: the player achieved the first down before the penalty. We award the first down, but from where the penalty happened, we’re going to move the ball back and assess a loss of down.

5:01 So it’ll be second down in goal from where the penalty happened.

5:07 On the flip side, if we’re on the 25, and I flag guard on the 24, then I get the first down, the penalty happened before the first down line. It would be a loss of down, turnover.

5:23 If you have any questions on that, please feel free to reach out to us at training@nextlevelsports.com.

5:32 Have a good one.