Man in motion

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The tight end Andrew Quarless (81) runs across the line of scrimmage as Man in Motion

As Man in Motion refers to a player's offense in American football , which is just before the snap moves.

Normally, the offense players must remain calm immediately before the face-off and are not allowed to move or change their position. Only a player who is not on the line of scrimmage is allowed to move directly behind the line of scrimmage and change his position immediately before the snap. Typically this movement is performed by a single wide receiver , but a tight end , running back, or quarterback can be used as an alternative .

The main purpose of the man in motion is to read the opposing defense, i.e. to find out whether the defenders are playing man or zone cover. It can also add to the confusion of the defense, making it difficult to assign a suitable defender to the attacking player in good time.

With a motion, the move can be performed directly while the man is moving in motion. At the moment of the snap he may only move parallel to the line of scrimmage or away from it - not towards it.

The situation is different with a so-called shift , in which more players are allowed to move before the turn. In order to give the defense the opportunity to position itself correctly, the movement of the players must be stopped before the snap and all players must have stood still for at least one second. Even before a player goes into motion, all eleven players must have paused for a second.

Violation of the rule will result in a penalty of 5 yards for the offense. The term player in motion is often used as a synonym .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ NFL Rulebook. (pdf) Rule 7 Ball In Play, Dead Ball, Scrimmage. National Football League (NFL), p. 6 (of 38) , accessed on December 26, 2013 (English, Section 4 (Action at or Before the Snap), Article 7 (Illegal Motion)): "When the ball is snapped, One player who is lined up in the backfield may be in motion, provided that he is moving parallel to or away from the line of scrimmage. No player is permitted to be moving toward the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. All other players must be stationary in their positions. "
  2. ↑ ASK THE OFFICIAL: MOTION AND SHIFT RULES ARE GOVERNED BY MOVEMENT, NOT VOCAL COMMANDS. August 20, 2015, accessed December 24, 2016 .

literature

American football. The official rules. Things worth knowing from A - Z, Falken-Verlag 2000, ISBN 3-8068-1673-5 .