Usually this is accidental contact that happens as the receiver passes by the corner. On some occassions as the receiver trys to work his way around the defensive back he will have his helmet contacted. For this reason the cornerbacks will try and hold them within this one yard for as long as possible. The cornerbacks are allowed to contact the opposing receiver within the first yard of the line of scrimmage. This makes it more difficult for the receiver to start his route and may throw off his timing with the quarterback. When a play starts cornerbacks will often contact the receiver. Receivers Getting Off The LineĪnother situation in which this penalty can occur is when a receiver is attempting to get off the line of scrimmage. This situation is one that is resposible for a large portion of theillegal use of the hands penalties called in the NFL. In order to avoid this penalty offensive lineman need to be sure to keep their hands on the players shoulder pads. The same as when this is called against the offense any contact onto a defensive linemans helmet with your hand can earn a player this penalty. This penalty can also be called on an offensive lineman when trying to block a defensive tackle or end. Now they are able to call this penalty if any contact between the hand to the helmet occurs. Previously the NFL only called this penalty if extended contact to the helmet occured. Typically this is going to be called when the defensive player gets his hand onto a players helmet and continues to hold it there. As the defensive players hand-fight with the offensive lineman a hand can easily end up wedged against a helmet. Pass rushing against an offensive lineman is a situation which can often result in an illegal use of the hands penalty.
Below we will cover the situations in which illegal use of the hands is often called. Like most penalties in the NFL, there are specific actions that tend to generate these sorts of calls. When Does Illegal Use Of The Hands Get Called? The yardage depends on if it was committed by the offense or the defense. While illegal use of the hands is a five or ten-yard penalty. This results in a fifteen-yard penalty and an automatic first down. A facemask is a personal foul on both the offense and defense. The other difference between these penalties is the outcome. And illegal use of hands is the pushing or hitting of the facemask or neck. To identify the difference between these two penalties remember a facemask is pulling or twisting of the mask. This is of course different from illegal use of the hands as that is more of a pushing motion. But what exactly is a facemask penalty?Īccording to the NFL rulebook a facemask penalty occurs when a player “twists, turns, or pulls the facemask of an opponent in any direction.” So we know that the illegal use of the hands penalty occurs when a player makes contact with another players facemask or neck area. Illegal Use Of The Hands Vs Facemask Penalty This is especially true if this penalty takes place on third down. The automatic first down is the portion of this penalty that really hurts. This is the same outcome as a holding call.Īn illegal use of the hands penalty on the defense is going to result in a five-yard penalty and an automatic first down. When this penalty is committed by the offense there is a ten-yard penalty with the down being replayed. Now that we know how and why an illegal use of the hands penalty is called let’s get into the result. It is this effectiveness and injury concerns that led to this play being illegal. The same goes for an o-lineman who could easily subdue a pass rusher by pushing him back via the facemask. If a three hundred fifty pound d-lineman place his hands on your face mask and begins to push you are going to have a lot of trouble blocking him.
To understand the effect a play like this might have you need to remember the strength of a defensive lineman. As the player’s jockey for position it is not unlikely that your gloves will slip from the shoulder pads up into the neck or head area.Īside from the health concerns placing your hands into another player’s facemask offers a major disadvantage. When using a pash rush manoeuvre such as a bull rush it is easy to misplace your hands.
These penalties are often committed accidentally.