This past week, on 2 of the onside kicks that were recovered by the receivinig team with the player already kneeling. The kicking team player made full contact, running through the receiving player with no call. Is this legal or should the receiver be considered down? Defenseless? Appreciate the input.
Onside Kick Contact?
- Thread starter AggieMac
- Start date
Legacy Zebra
Six-man fan
Depends on the timing and location of the contact. And really this is two separate questions, so I’ll give two separate answers. I will also preface this by saying it’s tough to answer these questions without actually seeing the action in question.
If the player has clearly established possession with a knee down, yes he is down by rule and forcible contact would be a personal foul for a late hit just like any other ball carrier who is down. However, just like catching a pass, possessing a loose ball requires an element of time with control. A player is not in possession (and therefore is not down) immediately when the ball hits his hands. So it’s possible that the kicking team could hit him legally as the ball is arriving or just after it arrives, but before possession is secured.
A player attempting to recover a kick is defenseless by rule, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hit them. It just means you can’t make forcible contact to the head or neck with a targeting indicator, ie a launch, leading with head, shoulder, etc., or a crouch and thrust. You said that the kicking team player “ran through” the receiving team player, so that doesn’t sound like it would qualify. But if there was an indicator and forcible contact to the head or neck, targeting would apply whether the receiving team player had possession or not since he is considered defenseless even before he actually has possession.
If the player has clearly established possession with a knee down, yes he is down by rule and forcible contact would be a personal foul for a late hit just like any other ball carrier who is down. However, just like catching a pass, possessing a loose ball requires an element of time with control. A player is not in possession (and therefore is not down) immediately when the ball hits his hands. So it’s possible that the kicking team could hit him legally as the ball is arriving or just after it arrives, but before possession is secured.
A player attempting to recover a kick is defenseless by rule, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hit them. It just means you can’t make forcible contact to the head or neck with a targeting indicator, ie a launch, leading with head, shoulder, etc., or a crouch and thrust. You said that the kicking team player “ran through” the receiving team player, so that doesn’t sound like it would qualify. But if there was an indicator and forcible contact to the head or neck, targeting would apply whether the receiving team player had possession or not since he is considered defenseless even before he actually has possession.
Coach_Powell
Six-man fan
From my experience as a Special Teams Coordinator, this has been an ongoing issue and really varies by crew/chapter unfortunately. In six-man, the kicking team must make a legitimate attempt to recover the football once it has traveled 15 yards. Contact is only legal if the player is clearly playing the ball, not just running through the receiving team.
Simply running through a receiving player who has possession or is down on a knee should be considered illegal contact since that player is down and defenseless. If the receiver has clearly secured the ball with a knee down, that is a dead ball, and any hit afterward should be a personal foul (15 yards) for unnecessary roughness. Some teams will “bunch kick” to create chaos and take advantage of that gray area, which makes consistency from officials even more important. The “commit to the ball” interpretation is where it gets tricky. Some officials want to see an actual play on the ball, while others just look for the player to be in the area.
Please correct me if I'm wrong lol?
Simply running through a receiving player who has possession or is down on a knee should be considered illegal contact since that player is down and defenseless. If the receiver has clearly secured the ball with a knee down, that is a dead ball, and any hit afterward should be a personal foul (15 yards) for unnecessary roughness. Some teams will “bunch kick” to create chaos and take advantage of that gray area, which makes consistency from officials even more important. The “commit to the ball” interpretation is where it gets tricky. Some officials want to see an actual play on the ball, while others just look for the player to be in the area.
Please correct me if I'm wrong lol?
Geoffreyrutledge
11-man fan
Nah coach you got it pretty much correct
Texlonghorn75
Six-man expert
Personally, being on the receiving end of onside kicks years ago, it has been an easy excuse for the kicking team to punish whoever is unlucky enough to catch the kick. And piling on was not penalized much either. Yes, this issue should be discussed with the Refs before every game to protect the players.
How many years until the onside kick is illegal?
