Rules+: Referees Earning Our Stripes

See what the ruling on last week's cliffhanger play should be as a segue into considering the unforeseen implications of confusing an illegal kick with the act of illegally kicking a loose ball.

Two terms fundamental to determining possession, penalty enforcement, and eligibility to advance a loose ball are fumble vs. muff. This episode explores the wider implications for American football in general of the differences between this pair of rules siblings.

The differences between kickoffs and a free kick after a safety are obvious: a kickoff is from the 40 and a free kick after a safety is from the 20 and is almost always a punt. But what purpose does having these differences serve? Join veteran referee Michael Barrett as he offers his speculation about why.

Continuing the project to compare pairs of rules siblings, Michael Barrett investigates the parallels and inconsistencies between scrimmage kick plays and forward pass plays in whether--or how--the ball crossing the neutral zone matters.

Turning my focus to scrimmage kicks, I consider at length the similarities and often subtle differences between a field goal attempt and a punt. It's easy to overlook the differences because the rule book introduces them as exceptions to otherwise fundamental principles concerning ball possession and penalty enforcement.

After three previous episodes, here is the exciting conclusion to discussion of the free kick vs. scrimmage kick dyad, with bonus coverage of how to handle a down in extra periods when there is a change--or changes--of team possession.

The Siblings Project continues with extensive discussion of a play scenario that illustrates what a scrimmage kick play is and isn't.

This week I cover two interesting play situations from AFOA's first live Rule Plus study session, and then the Siblings Project continues with introductory comments for the comparison of free kicks with scrimmage kicks.

The Siblings Project continues with my analysis of the similarities and differences between the rules pair illegal forward pass and intentional grounding.

In this episode, I share clarifications of two interesting mechanics siblings from the 2023 TASO Football Annual Meeting at the Renaissance Dallas hotel in late July.

Building on the idea that we should study how rules in separate places may in fact impact each other, I introduce the 1st of 15 pairs of rule concepts we should analyze to discover how they are alike and different from each other. In this episode, I look at the dyad of kickers vs. passers.

This episode uncovers the many places you may need to visit in the rules book to get a play right because football rules comprise a web of overlapping, interrelated provisions to be found in the most unexpected places.

Michael Barrett pulls back the curtain to investigate the rationale and possible impact of 9 editorial changes to NCAA football rules and of the debut of a 6-page collection of "Officiating Standards" to accompany Approved Rulings.

In this episode Michael Barrett elaborates upon last week's discussion of NCAA rules changes for the 2023 college and Texas high school seasons, sharing clarifications from Bill Theodore at the TASO Rules Clinic in Austin on June 24.

The Rules+ podcast provides weekly advanced study of NCAA football rules, mechanics, and philosophies for high school and college referees who are members of the Austin Football Officials Association. This inaugural episode reviews the changes for this season in NCAA rules, and discusses the implications of those changes.