The National Federation of High Schools adopted the rule hoping to impress upon coaches and players the need to have all helmets properly snapped.
One question that came up immediately is if a timeout could be substituted for a player leaving the game.
Another change is more of a further definition of blocking below the waist.
“In the past if someone is not in the free-blocking zone — if a defender’s hands touched you before you touched him — then all bets were off,†McWherter said.
“Now, 95 percent of the time [the call] will be whether the initial surge was an illegal block. Did [the blocker] go low or did he start above the waist and a defender pushed him down low?â€
Local referees director George Shuford indicated that it was not a major change.
“It is an interpretation of calling the play. I don’t think coaches need to be concerned about it and I don’t think [the problem] is the way coaches are teaching,†he said.
There was no mention of defenders chopping blockers below the waist, which at times presented itself last year.
“There was some controversy on that last year where defenders were cutting offensive players, especially the fullback, out of the box and then in the box,†Slaughter said. “I was hoping there would be a rule that would eliminate defenders diving into offensive players’ legs. I don’t think there are that many backs or receivers blocking below the waist. It’s on defense where it’s a bigger issue.â€