Can some of the BGP officials explain The Neutral Zone: what it is, how it is decided, when it exists, and why knowing about The Neutral Zone is so important?

 

If anyone else has questions about The Neutral Zone, feel free to throw those questions out there, this is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the game. If anyone has any other questions for the officials, please start a separate thread for those questions.

Not an official...just a coach, but I think I can answer the questions

 

The neutral zone runs from sideline to sideline and it is the length of the football from tip to tip. It also consists of the vertical space above the ball running along the same previously mentioned planes.

 

It exists prior to the offensive snap. Upon the snap of the ball, there is no longer a neutral zone.

 

The goal behind having a neutral zone is two fold; the defense can not cross the neutral zone until after the snap of the ball. The offense also can not cross the neutral zone until after the snap.

 

The only part of the body allowed to be in the neutral zone is the centers hand because he is snapping. Any other player lining up in the neutral zone is a penalty.

It isn't enforced very well, some crews will call it some won't. In the playoffs one of the dlinemen we were playing against lined up with his helmet in the neutral zone every play. We questioned it and the ref basically ignored us. Then finally after questioning it again he basically said it wasn't giving the defender any advantage by lining up there.

 

Let me also state it wasn't borderline he was clearly in the zone and on nearly every play and not once was he warned.

 

 

Unreal but true!

It isn't enforced very well, some crews will call it some won't. In the playoffs one of the dlinemen we were playing against lined up with his helmet in the neutral zone every play. We questioned it and the ref basically ignored us. Then finally after questioning it again he basically said it wasn't giving the defender any advantage by lining up there.

 

Let me also state it wasn't borderline he was clearly in the zone and on nearly every play and not once was he warned.

 

 

Unreal but true!

One ref told me a few years ago that the player was "even". Even? :ohbrother:

In the playoffs one of the dlinemen we were playing against lined up with his helmet in the neutral zone every play. We questioned it and the ref basically ignored us. !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which game are you referring to. I was at most of them.

It isn't enforced very well, some crews will call it some won't. In the playoffs one of the dlinemen we were playing against lined up with his helmet in the neutral zone every play. We questioned it and the ref basically ignored us. Then finally after questioning it again he basically said it wasn't giving the defender any advantage by lining up there.

 

Let me also state it wasn't borderline he was clearly in the zone and on nearly every play and not once was he warned.

 

 

Unreal but true!

 

Thank you Ram for the question. I am no longer on the field but let me jump in about a couple of things referees look at in relation to the neutral zone.

 

Definition: The area between the two lines of scrimmage, stretching from sideline to sideline.

The neutral zone is also used a lot in determining scrimmage kick situations as to did the kick go past the neutral zone, forward pass limitations, illegal downfield penalties, and free blocking zone rules.

 

Let me address some of the mechanics that some crews use in addressing lining up in the neutral zone. Many crews use the "from the ball out" way of splitting up the jurisdiction between the linesman and the line judge. So the line judge will call encroachment and illegal procedure and illegal motion and false starts on his/her side of the ball to the sideline and the linesman will take the opposite side. That way, the closest referee can see all the way to the ball. From the opposite sidelines, many times it looks like the WR is off or in the neutral zone. Our mechanic out wide is not to say if a WR is "good" but rather placing your foot on the line of scrimmage and saying here is the line since we don't know if he is supposed to be on the line or off of the line. That's where the punchback signal to indicate whether the wide guy is on the line or off in the linesman's or line judge's view. Now the wide referees can go through their series of checks, do we have 11 players, do we have late/illegal substitution, do we have 7 on the line, do we have any covered up inelgibles, etc.

A couple of things that makes the view tough are fields that aren't completely straight due to manual marking off the yard lines, rain and mud erasing the lines, and the multiple sets that offenses are now using. When a team is using multiple shifts, motions, and unbalanced lines causes multiple things to watch. Add to that the offensive lines inability to line up straight ( airplane alignment) gives the appearance of a neutral zone. The center is on the ball, the guards may be a foot back but still breaking the plane of the center and then we have the largest people on the field, the offensive tackle still back further. Is he breaking the plane of the centers hips, yes, but he is another foot back from the guards. The defensive tackle sees the offensive tackle 2 feet back so he creeps up into the neutral zone. Yes he has the ball to line up against but he sees 3 yards of space between him and the offensive tackle. Remember that the tackle is usually the largest person and from the sideline, you may not be able to see the guard or the center. At this time you ( as the linesman) are counting helmets, knowing the snap is eminent, now the flanker goes in motion away so you are tracking him and a coach gets in your ear about the defensive end on the other side of the line is in the neutral zone. The coach gets little or no response and gets frustrated.

The coach can now a) scream at the official b) ask the official to check with partner across the other side to see if he/she sees anyone in the neutral zone. My guess is b) would get you the better reaction.

Edited January 4, 201016 yr by Ram

Jimmyref,

That was really good....all except the fact that there is no "illegal procedure" penalty in the NFHS rule book. No matter how many times we hear it called.

the guards may be a foot back but still breaking the plane of the center and then we have the largest people on the field, the offensive tackle still back further. Is he breaking the plane of the centers hips, yes, but he is another foot back from the guards.

 

This one gets me. In the years since Tony Franklin's system has come to be used by so many teams, I've noticed how much farther and farther back the Off. Tackles line up from the ball (giving them a HUGE advantage over a defensive end compared to what they should be allowed to do by rule).

 

There have been times when I've seen almost a foot of 'air' between the most forward part of the tackle and the rear of the center. I've asked officials on my side "what part of that tackle on our side is 'breaking' any part of the center?" and mostly I get no response. One looked right at me and said in a VERY sarcastic tone, "Sure coach, he's all the way up even with the center from my view" and then smiled as if to say, 'I know it's not legal, but you're not getting that call from me all night.'

 

There have been a few at least honest enough to tell me they simply don't acknowledge that rule -- to them it's like "holding"...happens so much you'd have to call it every play and they're okay with teams now doing it every play.

I've always understood that the tail tell sign of it was if the ear hole of the down lineman cuts the center's hip. Now, I have never seen anyone personally that was further back then that, but I suppose it it possible.

I have to throw this in: one of my favorite things that fans scream is, "He got back in time", after a player crosses the neutral zone and gets back before the snap in a high school game.

Jimmyref,

That was really good....all except the fact that there is no "illegal procedure" penalty in the NFHS rule book. No matter how many times we hear it called.

Thanks for catching that but when the referee makes that "signal", do you think most fans think snap infraction, simulating the start of a play, or illegal formation? I would guess most think illegal procedure.

NFHS Rule 2-28 Neutral Zone:

 

Art. 1...The neutral zone is the space between the two free-kick lines during a free-kick down and between the two scrimmage lines during a scrimmage down. For a free-kick down, the neutral zone is 10 yards wide and for a scrimmage down it as wide as the length of the football. It is established when the ball is marked ready for play.

 

Art. 2...The neutral zone may be expanded following the snap up to a maximum of 2 yards behind the defensive line of scrimmage, in the field of play, during any scrimmage down.

 

Most wing officials will do some preventative officiating early in the game. If someone is lined up a bit across the line, I will go in and "remind" the linemen to stay onside and watch where they are lined up. If that doesn't work, letting a coach know will usually take care of the problem. If not and it keeps happening, flags will follow.

 

Please remember coaches...you are probably getting this same courtesy on the other side of the ball. Big and obvious will get called :thumb:

I've been to The Neutral Zone. Pretty neat store, specializing in UK and UL sports stuff. Just off I-64 and Blankenbacker (sp?) Parkway.

Ahhh...the flying V formation

 

NFHS Rule 2-25 Line of Scrimmage:

Art 2...An offensive player is on his line of scrimmage when he complies with the position requirement of a lineman

 

NFHS Rule 2-32 Player Designation:

Art 9...A lineman is any A player who is facing his opponent's goal line with the line of his shoulders approximately parallel thereto and with his head or foot breaking an imaginary plane drawn parallel to the line of scrimmage through the waist of the snapper when the ball is snapped.

 

basically, when you can see air between the other lineman and the centers butt, he is off the line of scrimmage.

 

Again, MOST wing officials will somehow get work into the middle that someone or everyone needs to get up on the line. If that doesn't work, informing coaches usually does the trick. If not, flags will follow.

 

Coaches, again please remember that the same courtesy is more that likely being afforded to your team. When it becomes big and obvious or someone is getting an advantage, it will get called. Nobody at that game wants to see us throwing those flags all night for something that can be corrected without anyone getting an advantage.

Coaches, again please remember that the same courtesy is more that likely being afforded to your team. When it becomes big and obvious or someone is getting an advantage, it will get called. Nobody at that game wants to see us throwing those flags all night for something that can be corrected without anyone getting an advantage.

 

 

Point taken; but remember it's possible to have one team line their tackles up 'legally' while the other team wants them back too far. In that case, one team is not getting "the same courtesy afforded them."

 

I get this argument from officials too when I point out that they're giving our opponent 28, 29, or even more than 30 seconds to allow their qb time to go over to the sideline, have the coach whisper it in his ear, have him jog back to the huddle, and casually get the play off without a Delay penalty (when I pointed out to one crew that our opponent just got 32 seconds to get a play off, one of them actually said it was an "illegal use of technology" for me to use a stopwatch to time the amount of time it took from ready-for-play til a flag was thrown!). I get from them, "you're getting the same amount of time when you're on offense" even though we're a no-huddle team that gets snaps off usually between 15 and 20 seconds after the ready-for-play.

 

"Calling it the same for both sides" when it's different than what's printed in the rulebook isn't always giving BOTH teams the "same courtesy." In the case I just pointed out, one team is getting an ADVANTAGE by not having to be held to the standard of what's printed in the rulebook. I don't want the 'courtesy' in that case; I'd rather have BOTH teams held to the standard we're supposed to be held to and what we base practice reps on.