Tom Higgins
CFL.ca
Thanks for all the great questions and comments. What shines through is the passion, and high football IQ, of our fans. While you touched on many topics, I received a lot of inquiries about “no yards”. So let’s tackle a few of those off the top, as well as some of your other questions.
Q from Roland E: When is the league going to get rid of the most controversial play in football: no yards? This call has been missed when a defender is two yards away and called when a defender is eight yards away. The fact that this rule exists and is subject to a 15-yard penalty (usually for the most egregious of fouls) makes the league look childish.
Tom Higgins: When the ball is punted, the members of the kicking team have to be five yards from the kick returner when he fields the ball. They have to “give” five yards in all directions, what officials sometimes call a five yard “halo.”
If the ball bounces on the turf before it is fielded, and they are within that five-yard halo when it’s fielded, it’s a five-yard penalty. If they are within five yards when the ball is caught in the air, it’s a 15-yard penalty. If the member of the kicking team is within that five-yard halo because he was blocked or pushed into that area by an opponent, or he is kept from leaving that zone by an opponent, there is no penalty.
If the ball is touched by a member of the kicking team before it is fielded by the receiving team, it’s a 15-yard penalty. However, if a member of the kicking team is inadvertently struck by the ball after it has hit the ground (for example, a shanked punt hits a member of the cover team in the back of the leg as he is sprinting down field), it’s only a five-yard penalty.
I’m the first to concede that our officials, like all human beings, make mistakes from time to time. But I’d also caution you against judging that five-yard zone from a distance, or from some of the angles provided by TV cameras.
Angles distort distance. (If you’re a golfer, you know that a tee shot that looked to be right next to the pin from the tee box sometimes turns out to be a 10-foot putt when you get to the green.) As for your comments on getting rid of the “no yards” penalty, I respect your point of view but I have a different opinion.
I’m proud to have been born in the U.S., to have played four-down football at North Carolina State, and to have played in the NFL.
But I am enormously proud of the CFL and I love those things that make our game uniquely and distinctly ours. And to me, “no yards” is one of those things, as is the rouge.
Having said that, I’m not the one who makes the rules. I am a member of the rules committee, along with coaches, general managers, a player rep and an on-field official, but I’m just one voice.
Q from Ryan L: I’m curious as to why the “no yards” penalty is so arbitrary. Last week, the Riders got called once where, if he was inside of five yards, it was by inches. I understand the spirit of the rule (to prevent a tackler from hitting the running back as he is catching the ball and looking up), but I’ve seen it called where there is well over five yards separation as well. Is there a way this rule could somehow be made more consistent?
TH: If the cover team is within five yards, even by a few inches, the call should be made. If it’s truly eight yards away from the returner, it shouldn’t be called. The intent of the rule goes beyond trying to allow the return man to catch the ball without interference.
It’s also designed to encourage kick returns, which can be one of the most exciting plays in football, especially on our big field. The “no yards” versus “fair catch” debate is an old one for football fans, and a fun one, too.
My own view is I’d rather see a Gizmo Williams or Pinball Clemons or Earl Winfield, to name a few of the greats, at least have a shot at a return. As for consistency, our goal is always to be correct and consistent in the application of the rules.
Q from Adam P: When a field goal is blocked or partially blocked, why is “no yards” called? Does it not become a live ball once it has been blocked?
TH: If a field goal is blocked or deflected, and the ball goes past the line of scrimmage, the “no yards” scenario is in effect, and the cover team has to give five yards to the receiving team. If it doesn’t go past the line of scrimmage, it’s a live ball and can be recovered by either team.
Q from Anonymous: I tend to make up unlikely, but possible scenarios, and see if I can find the rules that would apply to them… Rule 1, Section 4 of the rules applies to a kicked ball becoming a “dead ball” when it strikes an opponent’s goal assembly in flight, without first touching the ground, a player or an official… Does this mean that a forward pass that bounces off the uprights is a live ball? Or if a ball is kicked from one’s own end zone and maybe goes off the side of the foot and kicks the kicker’s own goals, that the ball is a live ball?
TH: When a forward pass hits one of the uprights, the whistle is blown immediately, the play is dead and the pass is incomplete. You couldn’t catch or intercept a pass after it bounces off an upright. This does happen: Kevin Glenn and the Tiger-Cats were in the red zone recently when it happened to them. It’s far less common, of course, for a punter to hit his own goal post with a kick from the end zone.
And the situation would be a little more complicated. In that case, the ball would be live. If it travels over the line of scrimmage, it’s treated like any other punt, the “no yards” rule applies, and the kicking team has to give the receiving team five yards to field the kick or be penalized. If the ball doesn’t travel past the line of scrimmage, the ball can be recovered by either team.
Q from Dara S: Hi! I hate sounding rude, but many Saskatchewan fans cannot figure out why Chris Getzlaf got an offensive pass interference call last week against B.C. It seemed to everyone (including the announcers) that, if anything, there was some slight pushing from both of them, but not enough to disrupt the play. Can you help us figure out what happened here?
TH: I’m happy to do that, Dara, and your question is anything but rude. (When you work in officiating, you get to know a thing to two about that.) After every game, we evaluate every official on every play.
Even if an official doesn’t make a call on a play, we grade him on things such as his positioning. Our evaluators took a very close look at that play. And they looked at it from every available angle, including one you wouldn’t have seen on television.
That’s from a camera in the end zone which records all 24 players on the field on every play. It produces what we call “game tapes”, the ones used by coaches for their preparation. That angle showed that, just before the ball arrived, Chris got separation by pushing off.
The call was graded as a good call. Even our best officials miss a call on occasion. But there are also times when they see something TSN’s cameras did not catch, and the announcers couldn’t see from their booth.
Q from Gordie N: Is the quarterback allowed to throw a forward underhand pass from behind the line of scrimmage? I did it while playing with friends and they said it was not a legal throw.
TH: Your friends are wrong. You are right. And you are in pretty good company. I can remember Doug Flutie resorting to an underhand “shuttle” pass when under pressure from a pass rush. If the underhand pass is a forward pass and it is not caught or intercepted, the ball is dead and the play over.
Of course, if the ball is passed backwards, behind the passer, it’s a lateral and if it is not caught, it is a live ball, whether it’s tossed overhand or underhand.
Q from Frank G: What complex mathematical formula is used to determine the placement of a ball when a kick goes out of bounds in the air? From our point of view, it seems like the sideline official takes an arbitrary number of steps long the sidelines, stands in a random spot (which coincidentally often seems to be just outside the 20-yard line), and waves his arms to announce that’s where the ball went out. What’s the actual mechanism behind this decision?
TH: Another great question. The sideline official goes to where he believes the ball went out of bounds, and then makes eye contact with the head referee, who stands behind the punter and is deemed to have the best angle for judging exactly where the ball went out. The referee then motions the sideline official frontwards or backwards until he reaches the correct spot. It’s the head referee’s call. If it ends up at the 20-yard line, that’s only because that’s where the referee saw it go out.
Q from Todd J: I have a question regarding what happened with Geroy Simon being fined for his comments about a pass interference call against Winnipeg earlier this year? It is not correct to punish a player when he comments about a missed call especially when he is correct and not punish the officials that missed it.
TH: Thanks Todd. That was a missed call, unfortunately. And I understand that Geroy was frustrated by it. But I also understand and support the Commissioner’s decision. (Supplementary discipline, including fines, is up to Commissioner Cohon.)
I can tell you that he has a zero tolerance policy towards public comments that are critical of officials. He has warned all players and coaches that when you denigrate our officials in public you denigrate our brand and it will be met with a fine.
We encourage teams to contact us directly and speak freely when they do, and believe me; I get an earful each week. That’s part of my job and as it should be. As for punishing officials, you should know that every official is graded on every play.
Those who consistently grade out well are rewarded with the most assignments and the best assignments, including the ultimate reward for our officials: the Grey Cup game. Those who grade out poorly get fewer assignments. An official who consistently grades out poorly won’t continue as an official at this level.
Q from Dave M: Hi Tom! My son and I got to speak with you briefly at McMahon Stadium. Again, as a hockey ref, I would like to compliment your staff on the very high ratio of calls they get right without benefit of replay. They do an outstanding job. My question has to do with those occasions when you will see a lineman out as receiver. I assume he must line up as an end. Could you explain what has to occur for him to become an eligible receiver?
TH: Thanks, Dave. Players wearing numbers ranging from 50 to 69 are said to be “ineligible” to catch passes. These numbers designate players who usually play one of the five interior offensive line positions: a centre, two guards, and two tackles.
On any play, up to two players wearing one of these “ineligible” numbers can play as a receiver. But each has to report to the referee that he is in as a receiver, and he has to line up as a receiver — as an end or in the backfield. He cannot line up at one of the five interior lineman positions.
The referee or another member of the officiating crew then informs the defensive team that the player has checked in as an eligible receiver. (From now on, you can amaze your friends by explaining: “It’s simple, he checked in and lined up correctly, and so he’s an eligible receiver with an ineligible number!”)
One more thing, Dave: thanks for your positive comments. While our officials love our game, and are fiercely dedicated, they don’t really expect much love in return. That’s the nature of the job. But when fans compliment them on doing a difficult job well, it goes a very long way!
Be sure to keep sending in your questions to asktheref@cfl.ca
