Defenseless player/receiver rule

[Cowboy-33]

I was just rewatching the bears eagirls game and the bears were called for hitting a defenseless player when the corner nailed the receiver as he caught the ball on the sideline. They also called that penalty on one of our Boys a few games ago.

Aren’t all receiver who are catching the ball “defenseless”? They have their hands out to catch the ball so they can’t protect themselves. It seems like the refs call it when it is a really hard hit just because it looks so violent.

What am I missing?

 

[Cowboy-33]

Anybody? I feel like I know the rules of football but this one baffles me. I read the “official “ rule :

1. A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner. If the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player.

So that means a defender cannot try to hit a receiver as he catches the ball to knock it loose? That happens all the time ! Like I said before it seems they call this foul when the hit just looks violent. Doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[sureletsrace]

Anybody? I feel like I know the rules of football but this one baffles me. I read the “official “ rule :

1. A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner. If the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player.

So that means a defender cannot try to hit a receiver as he catches the ball to knock it loose? That happens all the time ! Like I said before it seems they call this foul when the hit just looks violent. Doesn’t make sense to me.

This is one of those vague rules that apply at referee discretion.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Anybody? I feel like I know the rules of football but this one baffles me. I read the “official “ rule :

1. A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner. If the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player.

So that means a defender cannot try to hit a receiver as he catches the ball to knock it loose? That happens all the time ! Like I said before it seems they call this foul when the hit just looks violent. Doesn’t make sense to me.

Only very specific kinds of contact against a "defenseless player" are illegal.

https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/defenseless-player/

Prohibited contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture is:

1. forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenselessplayer by encircling or grasping him
2. lowering the head and making forcible contact with the crown or ”hairline” parts of the helmet against any part of the defenselessplayer’s body
3. illegally launching into a defenseless opponent. It is an illegal launch if a player (i) leaves both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent, and (ii) uses any part of his helmet to initiate forcible contact against any part of his opponent’s body. (This does not apply to contact against a runner, unless the runner is still considered to be a defenseless player, as defined in Article 7.)

 

[Runwildboys]

I was just rewatching the bears eagirls game and the bears were called for hitting a defenseless player when the corner nailed the receiver as he caught the ball on the sideline. They also called that penalty on one of our Boys a few games ago.

Aren’t all receiver who are catching the ball “defenseless”? They have their hands out to catch the ball so they can’t protect themselves. It seems like the refs call it when it is a really hard hit just because it looks so violent.

What am I missing?

They're considered defenseless until they have ample opportunity to try to avoid a hit or protect themselves, and it depends a lot on the way the defender hits them.

 

[pancakeman]

I’m also unclear about that rule, but in the play you’re talking about I think the helmet to helmet nature of the hit drew the flag.

 

[Bleedblue1111]

I'm not sure why they called it a defensive player hit. It looked more like the Bear defender led with his helmet though.

 

[lukin2006]

I do not like the rule.

 

[Kevinicus]

Anybody? I feel like I know the rules of football but this one baffles me. I read the “official “ rule :

1. A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner. If the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player.

So that means a defender cannot try to hit a receiver as he catches the ball to knock it loose? That happens all the time ! Like I said before it seems they call this foul when the hit just looks violent. Doesn’t make sense to me.

That's only part of the rule. They can't hit them in the head or neck area. They can hit them elsewhere.

 

[AbeBeta]

Only very specific kinds of contact against a "defenseless player" are illegal.

https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/defenseless-player/

Prohibited contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture is:

1. forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenselessplayer by encircling or grasping him
2. lowering the head and making forcible contact with the crown or ”hairline” parts of the helmet against any part of the defenselessplayer’s body
3. illegally launching into a defenseless opponent. It is an illegal launch if a player (i) leaves both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent, and (ii) uses any part of his helmet to initiate forcible contact against any part of his opponent’s body. (This does not apply to contact against a runner, unless the runner is still considered to be a defenseless player, as defined in Article 7.)

Hold up now.

You actually read the whole rule and provided an informed commentary?

Mods! Ban this dude now!