Blocking in the back

Please help with a rule clarification -- when is it legal to block in the back on a punt or kick return? (And is it any different on other downs?)

These blocks happen all the time w/o being penalties, and when they are penalties the penalties are for ILLEGAL block in the back. So what's a legal block in the back?

Never.
You have to have your head on the front side of the body. If you hit someone and your head is on the wrong side, it's illegal. That's generally how it's determined when you ask the refs.

There is one exception though. That's with linemen who are engaged with blockers in close contact, it's legal. You can't initiate a block in the back, but if you're in the trenched, it's legal

I apparently have no idea what the difference between a block in the back and a regular block on a return is.

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Hit a guy in the front = Legal
Hit a guy in the back= Illegal
Hit a guy in the side = Depends on if the ref is a flag happy ***hole

Just watch Amendola's punt return from Sunday. Text book blocks to take defenders out on a return, there were a couple of them.

Chandler Jones is going to rush the passer running backward. BB playing chess...etc.

JMC00 said:

Hit a guy in the front = Legal
Hit a guy in the back= Illegal
Hit a guy in the side = Depends on if the ref is a flag happy ***hole

Just watch Amendola's punt return from Sunday. Text book blocks to take defenders out on a return, there were a couple of them.

Click to expand...

There was one hit in that return that was not legal, thankfully the refs missed it. Not a block in the back but a block below the waist, these are not allowed in ST plays.

As for the original question you can not initiate the contact from the back of a player however if you started a block and they tried to spin you can hold the block.

I think it's called illegal block: in the back. As there are other illegal block the ref just clarifies what kind of illegal block it was.

JMC00 said:

Hit a guy in the front = Legal
Hit a guy in the back= Illegal
Hit a guy in the side = Depends on if the ref is a flag happy ***hole

Just watch Amendola's punt return from Sunday. Text book blocks to take defenders out on a return, there were a couple of them.

Click to expand...

Good post. Just wanted to add that front and back are determined by the ball. So as Dola turns up field, a lot of the trailing Pats who would be called for blocking in the back are suddenly now in front because Dola carried the ball by them. Maybe that's causing some confusion for people because there were several of those big blocks by trailing Pats players.

JMC00 said:

Hit a guy in the front = Legal
Hit a guy in the back= Illegal
Hit a guy in the side = Depends on if the ref is a flag happy ***hole

Just watch Amendola's punt return from Sunday. Text book blocks to take defenders out on a return, there were a couple of them.

Click to expand...

There is an exception, which can be seen at 0:15 of this vid. If the defender's back is turned to the runner, he can be blocked there.



Sergio Brown's block is also worth pointing out. He takes a great angle which allows him to impede the defender at 0:11 without doing anything illegal, and then he gives a shove once he gets the proper leverage.

With the KO situation being what it is I wonder if the percentages are with always downing the ball in the EZ otherwise you risk a moronic player block in the back or a flag happy ref calling a block in the side a foul and the ball placed well inside the 20. Reduces the risk to your ST players too knowing that there is no return.

Wonder what the statistics are for an "illegal-block-in-the-back" during a punt or kickoff return? Feels like about one in three, but that's a pure guess.

Wonder if players are playing the right percentages when they make a borderline block. I suspect they might be, or you'd see fewer of these penalties from disciplined teams like the Pats.

I was posting about the Connolly return and see somebody beat me to it w/ the video. The block by #38 is exactly the example that most often comes to my mind. He had one hand squarely in the middle of the defenders back when he shoved. Why is that block legal? Is it because his other hand was on the front side of the defender's body?

Meanwhile, I'm confused about something else. I thought #38 was Sergio Brown, given the hair and so on and my memories of the time, but now I gather that's Bolden's number.

Fencer said:

I was posting about the Connolly return and see somebody beat me to it w/ the video. The block by #38 is exactly the example that most often comes to my mind. He had one hand squarely in the middle of the defenders back when he shoved. Why is that block legal? Is it because his other hand was on the front side of the defender's body?

Click to expand...

Yeah he can place his hand on his back if he isn't pushing him, I know NCAA officials are trained to look at how the player goes down when its a close call. Normally if they go sideways its not called and if they go down face first its calls as a block in the back.