I generally consider myself to to be in a fairly high percentile as far as rule knowledge but this is something I have wondered about for a long time and never seen a great explanation...

What movement is and isn't considered a false start. In other words, why is a lineman who comes up out of his stance suddenly to turn and here a QB changing a play not but the slightest wiggle while down in stance is?

I finally saw an instance of how I wondered this situation would be called over the weekend in a game where the left tackle stood up suddenly to hear and audible from the QB and when he did the DE jumped at his movement and made the slightest of contact with his hand on the tackle. Offsides was called. But if the tackle had just wiggled slightly and the DE jumped it would have been a false start. So where is that line? Is it up to the discretion of refs? The suddenness of the movement? Seems like a large grey area.

Great thread.

I recall a play in our game where the TE (I think) made a sudden movement that I thought would draw a flag. He played it off and then got back into his stance if I remember correctly. Odd.

Also, am I the only one who feels like almost every OT moves early? Could just be a timing thing where I see that movement better than the ball being snapped.

I agree.

Jump offsides and everyone then point at the mover.

Make the refs not call it.

ONce the team comes set - then any movement after that is considered to be a false start. WHile audibles are being called or other instructions they can work themselves into a set or move their head but once the entire team is in the "set" stance, anything after that gets called.

You can generally see when that happens when all 11 are set.

They have to be set for 1 second pre snap.

Smooth movements out of the stance are allowed as you see. Jerky movements are a false start.

So yes, it is a bit of a gray area and a judgment call by the ref.

Shift and False Start ARTICLE 2 Approved Ruling 7-1-2 I. After a huddle or shift, all Team A players come to a stop and remain stationary for one second. Then, before the snap, two or more simultaneously change their positions. RULING: All 11 Team A players must again stop for one second before the snap, otherwise it is a live-ball foul at the snap for an illegal shift. PenaltyFive yards from the previous spot (Rule 2-22-1). II. Ten Team A players shift while A1 remains stationary. A1 then starts moving backward before one second elapses and the ball is snapped. RULING: If A1, who moved, did not halt with the other Team A players for one second before the snap, it is a dead-ball foul at the snap for a false start. PenaltyFive yards from the succeeding spot. III. After the Team A players have stopped for one second, end A88 runs wide and stops, and before one second elapses, back A36 starts moving backward. RULING: Legal. But if back A36 starts before end A88 stops, the simultaneous movement of two players constitutes a shift, and all Team A players must be stationary for one second before the snap (Rule 2-22-1). IV. Team A is in a no-huddle offense and is moving to the line when the ball is made ready for play. Although some players settle into their positions and stop, at least one player never stops and is still moving when the ball is snapped. RULING: Dead-ball foul: Illegal shift that converts to a false start. Team A never satisfied the one-second rule before the snap. Officials should shut the play down and penalize Team A five yards. V. Team A has 3rd and 3 at the B-40. QB A12 is in shotgun formation, (a) makes a fake clap standing in position; (b) makes a fake clap while chucking his shoulders and hands forward in an exaggerated motion simulating the start of the play. RULING: Rule 7-1-2-b-4-c states that it is a false start if the quarterback makes any quick, jerky movement that simulates the start of the play. In (a) no foul; (b) false start on A12.

Seems like a great short yardage tactic for a cheap first down. Get in a jumbo set with the defense all jacked up to make a stop and every one come out of your stance for an audible. Bound to have an antsy DL jump lol

Gyles Marrett said:

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Seems like a great short yardage tactic for a cheap first down. Get in a jumbo set with the defense all jacked up to make a stop and every one come out of your stance for an audible. Bound to have an antsy DL jump lol

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You are about 40 years late. Tom Landry teams did that for years.

birdman said:

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Gyles Marrett said:

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Seems like a great short yardage tactic for a cheap first down. Get in a jumbo set with the defense all jacked up to make a stop and every one come out of your stance for an audible. Bound to have an antsy DL jump lol

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You are about 40 years late. Tom Landry teams did that for years.

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Well I'm 41 years old...so 40 years ago is a little fuzzy in the memory

Heh I remember the conversation on this topic being rather heated when we beat bama in 2012. Ah the days of when espn.com had its own comment section...

Center did the weird bobbing up and down thing that is apparently allowed and drew an offsides from bama, thus ending their chance to get the ball back.

This is why there are so few OL with Parkinson's disease starting in the the NFL