USA Football Rules Editor Bill LeMonnier is a former college referee who currently serves as an ESPN NCAA rules analyst. Click here to ask Bill a question. Make sure to put “Ask the Official” in the subject line.

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Is the play (depicted in the main photo) a legal hit?

From what is shown in the image in the photo, this is a legal tackle. There are no restrictions on a high/low tackle on the runner.  If this was a block or contact against a non-runner, it would be a chop block. 

 

However, USA Football would not recommend teaching this technique, because the defender going low puts his head near the runner's knees. While this is not illegal, it creates a situation with the potential for injury to both players.

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We have a team in our youth league that runs no-huddle from start to finish – no matter what the score is. There are games where they obviously overmatch the other team to the point where the defensive players are fatigued because they can’t even get off the field to substitute during drives. Is there anything as an official I can do?

As an official, especially on the youth level, use your discretion when it comes to player safety. The first thing I would do is talk to the coach of the no-huddle team and express your concern. Here are some other options:

• You can stand over the ball on first downs or when the clock is already stopped to allow the defense to substitute.
• You can take your time returning the ball to the line of scrimmage.
• If a player is obviously “spent,” you can call an official’s time out and advise the coach to remove the player from the field.

I recently addressed a similar question in the video below.

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Is there any such thing as an illegal cadence? The quarterback is not doing anything deceptive, but he is intentionally mixing up verbal cues to distract the defense.

Quarterbacks can say anything they want under center to signal the start of the play (within the officials’ reason as far as proper language). It’s up to the defense to watch the ball to determine when the play begins.

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At the high school level, is it legal for a tight end to shift from a three-point stance on the line of scrimmage next to a tackle?

The tight end or split end in a three-point stance can shift to another position, but only if he was on the end of the line.  A covered lineman in a three-point stance or with his hand(s) on or near the ground is restricted from shifting.