SDCFOA Information Update 4-8-22

New Contract Update – No news to report other than we can expect a nice increase.  The CIF is still in the process of reorganizing itself prior to us beginning our process.  We have had several conversations but nothing formal yet.  Again, I will keep reporting as we move forward.
 
Scott Reilly Honored Tonight – The National Football Foundation Awards are tonight!  Scott will be recognized as the Official of the Year starting at 6:00pm at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Mission Valley.  There should be a good number of us attending and it’s not too late to join us.  Contact Jennifer Bower at jenbowernff@gmail.com or call her at (619) 341-0545 to inquire about payment for dinner and event.  She may direct you to the website if it’s no too late at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/annual-national-football-foundation-scholar-leader-athlete-banquet-tickets-290974812497
 
New Rules Question – QB A7 takes the snap and fades straight back to attempt a pass.  A7 evades a tackler and runs four steps toward the left sideline, then reverses his direction and scrambles back into the middle of the pocket directly behind center, where he intentionally throws a pass into an area clearly unoccupied by and eligible receiver.  Immediately after the play, a flank official runs in and verbally confirms what you observed, that there was no eligible receiver in the area of the pass.
 
Ruling: A player may purposefully throw an incomplete forward pass without warranting an intentional grounding penalty provided the passer is, or has been, outside the lateral boundary of the free blocking zone.  In this play, the QB A7 takes four steps toward the left sideline which puts him outside the “lateral boundaries” of the free blocking zone.  Even though he returns into the “pocket” he is still eligible to legally “dump the ball”.   We will be teaching that a referee may use the steps taken by the QB to help judge whether he has left the free blocking zone lateral boundary.  A QB sprinting out of the pocket has left after two steps.  A QB using choppy steps can be judged out of the pocket after three choppy steps.  This helpful tip comes from years of this rule being implemented at the NCAA and NFL levels. (7-5-2 Exception #2)