Tuesday Rules Summary - May 7 2015

1) Basics - 45 minute halves followed by 5 plays after 45 minutes. Home team chooses if they want ball or end. 2nd half; the other team starts with the ball and the ends are switched. 1 time out per half. 45 seconds to call play once bags are placed. 3 bags required, 1 must be a different color to represent the first down marker. Please keep the huddles quick, it makes for an incredibly boring game if the huddles are stretched to 2-3 minutes. See complete rules from TFONT for more info on everything, note, we do not have referees and the rules on this sheet take precedence.

2) Kickoffs - 10 yards behind half. Receiving team must be 20 yards away from kickoff. Offside, re-kick 5 yards back or 10 yard penalty from the spot. Kick out of bounds, 10 yards up where it went out of bounds or re-kick 5 yards back. 5 yards is not required to be given to the receiving team on kickoffs. Rouge, 1 point and scrimmage at 35 yard line. The receiving team may pickup the ball if the kickoff is touched or dropped.

3) Snaps - All snaps are live, including dropped snaps or snaps that hit the ground. Snaps over the QB's head are live to recover by the offence only. If it touches the QB, you can down the play by touching the QB. If it doesn't touch the QB, touching the ball will down the play. Marker is placed at LOS. QB's must be 5 yards behind the LOS. The ball is considered dead when it hits the ground during a scrimmage play, except on the initial centre-quarterback exchange when the ball is snapped. Lateral’s to an offensive player that touch the ground are dead and marked from the point of the lateral. There are no fumble recoveries in touch football.

4) Rusher - Line up 5 yards (15 feet) from LOS. Must be 1 yard on either side of the centre and within 5 yards of the centre. Rushers must be given clear path to the QB. No blocking, crossing his path, fake move into him. He is absolute power. The Centre must get out of his no matter what. The Centre cannot remain motionless to be used as a pick. The rusher must pick a side to rush from, once the centre puts his head down, the rusher may not change sides. Any intentional or accidental interference of any kind on the rusher should be yelled "pick". The down is re-played with no penalty. No arguments, just replay the down.

5) Offside’s - Offense is offside if they are over the LOS when the ball is snapped. If the offense jumps they may return so long the ball is not snapped. Defense cannot enter within 1 yard of the LOS prior to the snap. If rusher jumps, he may return back to 5 yards out and continue rushing, play continues. Offside penalty is 5 yards.

6) Punts - No punt blocking. If the ball touches the rusher, it's down over. Please be careful on this guys, you can rush hard but stay out of the way of the kicker, lets keep our teeth. The kicker may fake the kick. Another reason to slow down. Punts are allowed from anywhere, including after a reception. Punts that go out of bounds do not receive a penalty. Punts – 5 yards must be given to the receiving team. 10 yard penalty if not given. If punt is short and falls within group of defenders or bounces backwards, no penalty as long as defenders are trying back out of the 5 yards and not making a touch play. Dropped punts are dead.

7) Safety - Two points. After a safety touch, the scoring team can choose one of three options: to have the non-scoring team kick off from the non-scoring team's 35 yard line, to scrimmage the ball, first and ten, from their own 35 yard line or to kick off from their own 35 yard line.

8) Extra point converts - from 5 yard line for 1 point or from the 10 yard line for 2 points.

9) Touches - When touching a player, yell “touch”. Once touch has been called, the play is dead. A touch should be done with care and control. Very hard touches are not allowed, and for the most part are not required. We all have to work in the morning, let’s keep this part civil. A touch without care and control is a 15 yard penalty. A second rough touch by the same player is a 15 yard penalty and ejection from the game. Defense calls the touch; remember as a receiver, you may not feel the touch on your clothes. Ball placement - when a player is touched, the ball placement should be where the ball is at the time of the touch not where the defender was. Note, if you’re chasing someone or touching the player on the back, the ball is not marked where you were at the time that you touched him. Also, keep in mind that we do not have referees and arguments will arise often on this subject. Please try your best to give a fair spot defense. It is also frowned upon to say the offence did not get the first down by 6 inches, be lenient on this, if it's really that close, give the offense the first down unless you are absolutely sure they were short.

10) Passing reception - A completed pass happens when the receiver has stopped the rotation of the ball and shows firm possession of the ball. He does not need to make a football move or have both feet on the ground. To be in bounds, one foot must be in bound and not touching the line while no other body part is out of bounds.

11) Pass interference. Everyone’s favorite argument. Here are the official rules. Note, this is for both offensive and defensive. Pass interference is defined as one player taking away the positional advantage of another player. This can occur:

a. through direct contact whereby one player makes contact with an opponent and causes the opponent to move off stride or away from the opponent's intended direction; b. when a player steps into the intended and declared path of an opponent, causing the opponent to slow down or change direction; c. during a deliberate attempt to block the opponent from reaching the arrival point of the ball. d. holding onto a player, preventing them from getting to their intended path. e. Screening. Putting your hands up to block pass while not looking for the ball is pass interference. If you are running with the player, and the ball hits you in the head or back, that is not a penalty. As long as your hands are not up in the air and you don’t run into the receiver before the ball arrives.

Please read the complete rules (Rule 7) for pass interference. Please note that we do not play in the NFL. We do not use refs either so please be lenient. This is the recreational Kitchener touch league. Calling pass interference because someone touched you 0.25 seconds early is not acceptable. Jump balls, both players have the rights to it; contact during this type of play should not be called P.I. unless there is a push prior to the ball arriving. Note, that once the ball makes contact with the receiver, you are allowed to knock the ball out/pull his arm out before he has firm procession.

13) Misc - An Interception in the End Zone is scrimmaged at the 10 yard line. -Touchdowns are scored if the ball was touching or over the goal line. Not were the offensive player feet were or where the defensive player was. Player cannot reach ball to cross plane. -A QB drops the ball after having firm possession; ball is dead and spotted where the ball was dropped, no spiking the ball when in trouble. -Throwing a forward pass after the LOS. The QB’s entire body must be over the LOS before a foul can be called for throwing over the LOS. Ball would be spotted at the spot of the throw if he is over the LOS. -Intentional grounding. Ball marked at spot of throw and loss of down. -The defender/rusher will be called for a Personal Foul if they make ANY kind of contact with the Quarterback’s throwing arm OR hand and OR above the Quarterback’s shoulders while the Quarterback is attempting to make a pass, this includes the Quarterback’s natural follow-through motion. Any hard collision with the QB by the rusher is a personal foul. There is a lot of power given to the rusher to rush unabated. BUT This does not permit the rusher to make hard contact with the QB, touch the QB’s throwing arm or to rush uncontrolled. The only time a hard touch is acceptable is the rushers hand making contact with the QB’s body(not throwing arm). Call this penalty at will, the QB is in a vulnerable position. -Personal Foul rule is not subject to the half way to the goal line rule. -End Zones to 20 yards deep unless lines are painted.