You are here:

Football Instruction/Questions

SubjectDate AskedExpert
Tackle Box Free Blocking zone1/25/2012Victor Winnek
  Q: In high school football, against a double tight, double wing, set-up, with heel to heel splits, can ...
  A: Doug Thank you for your question. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but, please know under ...
NFL Touchdown Rules1/23/2012Victor Winnek
  Q: I am a Patriot fan (not that it should matter). I could not believe that the Raven player's catch ...
  A: Jennifer The reason why it was not a TD is because the receiver has to complete the process of the ...
NFL goal line spot1/22/2012Victor Winnek
  Q: When the Patriots were inches short on a play that had been called a touchdown the referees spotted ...
  A: John you assume correctly. They spot the ball where it is down per the replay. Many times when the ...
Defesive back.1/9/2012Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: So ive seeen that you gave real good advice on the db poistion. I wanted some advice of how should i ...
  A: Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have been working at several football clinics. ...
stretching a ball out for first down1/8/2012Victor Winnek
  Q: Let's say a ball carrier on a play jumps over the offensive line, stretches the ball over the first ...
  A: Dan Thank you for your question about Forward Progress. This is a rather common question and I ...
Coverage1/2/2012Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: Coach, I'm a freshman and our school just recently finished the season, since we're in off season, I ...
  A: I could give you a long-winded answer and go in depth, but I might as well link you to the video I ...
Computing passing yards12/30/2011Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: When a pass is completed, is it figured from: 1. From the line of scrimmage or from where the pass ...
  A: Passing yards are computed from the line of scrimmage (a bit unfair considering most passes are ...
FULLBACK12/21/2011Louis
  Q: Sorry this will be kinda long. So im goin to be a fredhman next year. Im 6' 185 right now probably ...
  A: Do not gain any more weight it will only make you slower. You might want to do some running and ...
Forward Hand Offs12/18/2011Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: While behind the line of scrimmage, how many times can the offence LEGALLY hand the ball FORWARD to ...
  A: I do not believe the rule books even touch this one. I simply think there just are not many ...
Should I play football the end of my junior and senior year of hs?12/17/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: my mother has never let me play football but finnaly theres somebody on my side ( my grandpa ). I ...
  A: Ryan Only you can aswer whether you should play football. If you have the desire to play then you ...
Fullback12/14/2011Louis
  Q: Hey, my name is Greg and I'm considering on playing semi-pro football. I'm 19 now and will start ...
  A: A fullback needs to be able to block, catch the football coming out of the backfield, and average ...
NCAA Football rules12/8/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: player from team A running towards team B goal for apparent touchdown, but tosses the ball toward ...
  A: Thomas Thanks for you question. There are several different situations that arise from this ...
Encroachment12/7/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: Is there any discussion about re-visiting the offsides/encroachment rule change that allows the ...
  A: David I am not aware of any discussion about re-visiting the fouls of offside or encroachment. The ...
Freshman HS Football12/6/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: My son is currently in 7th grade, is 5'8" tall and 150 lbs. He is strong for his age, not terribly ...
  A: I will say that with hard work and dedication, quarterback is possible. Now, I will say that he ...
Roughing the Kicker (Punter)11/27/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: I just read your response to a question about what is and is not roughing the punter. You stated ...
  A: Donald, Thanks for the question. This applies to NCAA rules and not to the Federation rules. One ...
Early Years football calls11/26/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: Years ago when a football team had a penalty the referee would yell out the penalty and just point ...
  A: Frank, The announcement of the penalty by the Referee has evolved over the decades, primarily to ...
Chop Block11/24/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: I just wanted to quickly ask an officials opinion on this call. My college team runs the flexbone ...
  A: Ethan I have reviewed the play involving #91 Defense and the two OL[Center #77 & backside Guard #71) ...
Cut Block11/22/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: Is there any chance that Cut blocks like the ones allowed in College Football will ever be allowed ...
  A: Ethan Thank you for your question about blocking below the waist. To simply answer your question, no ...
OT field goal dead ball penalty/excessive celebration11/16/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: This is a lengthy question. High School round 2 playoff game. game tied at end of game. OT ...
  A: Amanda Thank you for your question. First an foremonst as an official and instructor of high school ...
12 men in the huddle11/15/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: Is the purpose of the 12 men in the huddle rule so that he defense can anticipate the formation of ...
  A: Benjamin In a sense, yes. But first, the rule does not prohibit 12 players in the huddle, it ...
OT -PAT penalty11/14/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: My question concerns a high school football game played this past Friday night to determine the next ...
  A: Sorry for the slow response. Now, if this happened exactly how you explained it ( no, I am not ...
PRE-READING THE DEFENSE11/11/2011Louis
  Q: Coach I am getting into coaching and I want to coach on the offense side of the ball. I am ...
  A: The pre-snap read is not that difficult to master. Look at the deep safeties; One safety equals ...
nutrition/size11/8/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: I am currently a junior in high school, i play line backer and am only 185 lbs, i am six feet tall ...
  A: Yes, I agree, you can always get better. Although you are eating a lot that doesn't always mean ...
What does it take to make an arena football team?11/7/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: I'm 21yrs old and in High School I played 2yrs of football and 4yrs of basketball. I was really good ...
  A: The Arena football league is a speed game. But the linemen are usually big athletic guys. (not all ...
12 men in the huddle11/7/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: Does calling a time out with 12 men in the huddle negate the penalty?
  A: Melanie. This is an excellent question. Briefly the answer is Yes. First, it is not a foul for ...
fumble or down11/6/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: In yesterday's Michigan vs. IOWA game, the Michigan quarterback was rushed. In his attempt to ...
  A: Graydon Thanks for the question, I have had several questions about this game. Please know I did ...
HB11/5/2011Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: Next year i'm going to Highschool and i want to play football as a halfback. I want to know if i'm ...
  A: I'll put it to you this way. Our leading scorer with the varsity this season is our 5'4" 135 ...
High school football rules11/5/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: nfhs: 1st quarter ends. Ball is moved to other end of field, clock is re-set to 12 min. Ref blows ...
  A: The Referee should be blowing his whistle to get the teams on the filed and ready for play. When ...
Punter protection11/5/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: If a team does not have a long snapper and punts the ball by snapping the ball to the QB under the ...
  A: This is very interesting. At first thought, the play seems illegal. So I asked some official friends ...
Rugby style punt11/4/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: In high school football when does the punter lose his protection and become a runner while doing a ...
  A: Tom As you describe your follow up play situation, it does not sound like a personal foul and to not ...
Fullback workouts11/1/2011Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: I am looking at transferring to a D III school and walking on as a fullback or linebacker. I have ...
  A: The best advice I can give you is to work on your lower leg agility and your power lifts. Agilities ...
Spotting the ball.11/1/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: When a runner advances the ball and his knee is down by contact, is the ball spotted where the knee ...
  A: Floyd, Thank you for your question. In your question the ball is spotted where the ball is when the ...
College football referee mechanics10/31/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: Which official on the college football field is responsible for determining if the QB has passed the ...
  A: Doug In 7 man mechanics, the Line Judge - LJ will be on the line of scrimmage and he will look down ...
Penalty10/29/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: 2nd down and 5yds to go. Offense has an holding penalty 5yds behind the los on the 2nd down play. ...
  A: Let me just Put the question in here for other readers: 2nd down and 5 yds to go for a first down. ...
O-Linemen Contact Drills10/28/2011Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: My name is Elimar and I'm a football coach here in Brazil. First of all, thank you for all your ...
  A: Coach, Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I am coaching again. I was asked to come over ...
O-Linemen Contact Drills10/28/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: My name is Elimar and I'm a football coach here in Brazil. First of all, thank you for all your ...
  A: Sorry for the slow response. Didn't see this question. Having not seem them play or practice, I ...
on side kick/touched ball10/26/2011Arthur Anderson
  Q: Arthur, Here is a good one. Hope you can help explain. This actually happened this weekend in my ...
  A: Oh yeah, this definitely a good topic. I have seen this call blown in a few games. If the ball is ...
punting10/25/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: I was at a college football game when the punter dropped the ball and then kicked it from the ...
  A: Marie Thank you for your question, this touches on a couple kicking issues that are rarely seen. ...
Intentional grounding rule10/23/2011Victor Winnek
  Q: If a college quarterback takes the snap and drops back and runs outside the tackles and then runs ...
  A: Les In your play, it is not intentional grounding because th epasser is deemed to have been outside ...
Quarterback10/20/2011Jeffrey M. Cziska
  Q: I am a quarterback in Australia, we play 9 man football down here in our juniors competition which ...
  A: I would not say it is a step up. Good quarterback mechanics are important regardless of where you ...

Page:   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10  |  Next      All

Football Instruction

All Answers


Answers by Expert:


Ask Experts

Volunteer


Victor Winnek

Top Expert on this page

Expertise

I answer questions related to: Football Officiating; NCAA & Federation Rules; History of Football; Football Officiating - Mechanics (2,3,4,5,7 man); NCAA Rules & High School Rules; Player Safety, Issues of liability arising from injuries, workers compensation, discrimination of officials, Standard of Care; Serve as an Consultant and Expert Witness in Football Related Matters. History of the Game. Instructor of officials. I do not answer questions as to what position a person should play or what their chances are ...

Experience

24 years officiating High School & College football, NCAA Referee, Line Judge, Head Linesman; 2 years Arena Football-substitution official; Instructor of NCAA & Federation Officials, Member of the Board of Directors CFOA-Long Beach & South Bay Units, Pres. of Executive Council of Calif. Football Officials Assoc.; CIF Presidents' Council on Officiating; Chairman of the Officiating Ethics Committee; Played prep & college football; coached High School football; Athletic trainer

Organizations
President of Calif. Football Officials Assoc.; Western Collegiate Football Officials Assoc.; CFOA-Long Beach Unit

Publications
Referee Magazine; California Football Officials Assoc. Instructor's Guide; NCAA Div. 1-AA football officials clinic; CFOA instrutional materials; UWLA Law Review Answers are for educational and information purposes only and may not be reprinted, reporduced or used in any: articles, blogs, research, news story or republished in any fashion without the expressed permission and consent of the under signed.

Education/Credentials
BA USC 1987
JD UWLA School of Law 1996
3 Years Reno Football Officials Clinic Big 12 Mini Clinic
4 Years UCLA Football Officials Camp
24 years of instruction in Officiating Football


Awards and Honors
9 Bowl games, NCAA Div. 1 FCS; CIF State Championship, 9 years CIF Finals, 10 years CIF Semi-finals, 17 years of CIF play-offs.
NCAA Div. III Semi-Finals I will not dignify rude or disparaging comments with a response. I also will not entertain questions that use profanity. Football officials don't seek to “screw” any team Such an insinuation is ridiculous and ludicrous.

Past/Present Clients
If you have NFL question I suggest you contact NFL experts here on AllExperts.com or Mike Pereira on Wed. Afternoons at 1PM EST/10AM PST http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/page/Mike-Pereira-FOX-NFL-Rules-Analyst I work with Mike at FoxSports on Sundays in the Control Center explaining rules and officiating

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.