Quote:
Originally Posted by enjolras
Defender was still in the neutral zone when Franklin moved (I've watched this at least 10 times). I suppose you could argue the defender never fully moved into the neutral zone, but it sure looked like it to me.
Hell the guy was apologizing to the sidelines before they made the call.
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I haven't rewatched the game, so i believe you that he was in the neutral zone, but he was moving backwards by my recollection, when Franklin sat up and pointed...it looked pretty obvious to me that Franklin had waited far too long to move and still have a legitimate claim that he was "reacting"
But, if you are right that defender was in the neutral zone, but moving backwards, with no player contact, and a OL moves before the snap ( but not as an immediate reaction to defend himself), then according to my reading of the rules (pasted below) there are two offsetting penalties, both a neutral zone infraction and a false start. This, of course, is nothing I've ever seen before.
(b) a defender enters the neutral zone prior to the snap, causing the offensive player(s) in close proximity (including a
quarterback who is under center) to react (move) immediately to protect himself (themselves) against impending
contact; officials are to blow their whistles immediately. If there is no immediate reaction by the offensive player(s) in
close proximity, and the defensive player returns to a legal position prior to the snap without contacting an opponent,
there is no foul