RolandDeschain
Well-known member
Fellow .NETters (and enemy lurkers), I'd like to clarify a few things about DB/WR contact that most people don't know, or don't understand fully. There's a widespread perception that our secondary gets away with murder. They actually get away with far less in terms of breaking rules than most people realize, and I want to explain why in here. First and foremost, here is a link to the official NFL rule book: http://www.nfl.com/rulebook - Go there and download the official rules & casebook PDF further down on that page. Now, go to page 51 (it's labeled on the bottom of the page as page 43) and read that page. It's labeled as "Legal And Illegal Contact With Eligible Receivers". It contains some very relevant information to this discussion. Namely:
Article 3 - Illegal Contact Beyond Five-Yard Zone. Beyond the five-yard zone, if the player who receives the snap remains in the pocket with the ball, a defender may use his hands or arms only to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver. If the receiver attempts to evade the defender, the defender cannot initiate contact that redirects, restricts, or impedes the receiver in any way. Read that last bit closely. If the receiver attempts to evade the defender, (i.e., run a route, lol) the defender can't initiate contact that redirects, restricts, or impedes the receiver in any way.
Read that last bit closely. If the receiver attempts to evade the defender, (i.e., run a route, lol) the defender can't initiate contact that redirects, restricts, or impedes the receiver in any way. That means a defender can totally harass a receiver running a route, however; just not to the point of affecting their movement in any moderate or major way. A defender can, within the rules, totally paw at, poke, or basically anything they want at a receiver as long as it's light enough not to meet the rule requirement for illegal contact. Most people think this rule means you can't TOUCH a receiver, and that is obviously not true, per the rule. Pete Carroll is a DB guy, and we have a great DB coach. They have taught our guys how to get away with as much as is legally possible within the rules. Most DBs never bother with this on other teams, but our guys harass as much as possible, and it's a beautiful sight. (If you're a Seahawks fan.) There is nothing stopping your DBs from doing the same to our receivers; they just have to be careful and disciplined to keep from impeding their progress or motion in any meaningful way, is all.
Next up, we have the most important one, in my opinion:
Article 7 - End of Restrictions. If the quarterback or the receiver of the snap demonstrates no further intention to pass the ball (i.e., hands off or pitches the ball to another player, throws a forward or backward pass, loses possession of the ball by a muff that touches the ground or a fumble, or if he is tackled) the restrictions on illegal contact and an illegal cut block both end, but the restriction on defensive holding remains in effect.
This is another juicy bit of information. Once the QB basically does anything with the ball, defenders can perform illegal contact, illegal cut blocks, and defensive holding on receivers. Additionally, if the quarterback leaves the pocket, the restrictions on illegal contact and illegal cut blocks end. That means you can just haul off and knock a receiver to the ground at will, as long as it's a technically sound block under the normal rules of blocking. Brandon Browner in particular does this really well. You might remember him laying out Greg Jennings something fierce in the Packers @ Seahawks game last year. He got fined for that, but only because he was late with the hit/block; the runner with the ball was down before he hit Jennings. If he had managed to hit ('block') him before that, it's a legal play, no fine, no flag.
So let's say Crabtree or Boldin is running a go route down a sideline; if Kaepernick simply hands off to Gore, the instant that happens and Browner or any other defender sees it or notices it, they can just haul off on Crabtree or Boldin, free of charge. It's allowed so that the receiver can't come back toward the runner and block other defenders to help spring the runner for a huge gain unimpeded. There is no requirement that the runner be in the vicinity, or anything like that. Our secondary takes full advantage of this, which is why you see them doing chippy stuff that LOOKS like it should be flagged. The majority of the time I see someone shouting that there should be a flag thrown against a Seahawks DB, they're not actually doing anything against the rules. People just don't understand what's actually allowed, and when. (The when is very important when it comes to harassing the hell out of eligible receivers.)
The final piece:
Section 5, Article 1 - It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders the progress of an eligible receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line.
It's only PI if a defender "significantly hinders the progress". Significantly. Meaning, you can maul 'em a bit, just not a LOT, or dramatically so. Another misunderstood penalty by most people; most think simply touching a receiver is cause for PI, when it absolutely is not.
So in summary, once a QB hands off or leaves the pocket, the Legion of Boom can start decking guys at will, AND they are allowed to lightly, or even moderately if they're careful, maul receivers while they're running their routes. All within the rules. Browner and Sherman have truly become masters at this. It's harder to do than it looks. You know how a running back slows down quite a bit the instant he starts protecting the ball by cradling it against his stomach with both hands as he's about to be tackled? Similar logic applies here. It's HARD to do absolutely anything with your hands besides whip them back and forth in the "all-out running motion" and still maintain top speed, or very close to it. We should all be very impressed (sorry enemy fans, this sounds like ego slurping for our guys, and I don't intend it to come across that way) by the way Sherman and Browner are still able to stick with receivers while they are pawing at them and otherwise harassing them as they try to run their routes. There is a fair amount of room for interpretation as to what constitutes "significant" when it comes to preventing movement and motion that varies with each official, obviously, but our guys are so good at it, they annoy the ever-loving crap out of enemy receivers all game long and STILL don't draw flags more than every other secondary in the league.
That is extremely impressive. I hope this helps explain why officials, on the surface, appear to "favor" the Legion of Boom. It's not because they are biased, it's because our guys are just more incredible than most people even realize, and that's really saying something. If anything, enemy fans should be calling out their defensive backs coach for their respective team for not teaching this kind of aggressive harassment that builds up in the minds of opposing receivers, and annoys them to no end. It makes receivers get pissed and do things like just give up on their route, and attack Richard Sherman right after the snap.
Article 3 - Illegal Contact Beyond Five-Yard Zone. Beyond the five-yard zone, if the player who receives the snap remains in the pocket with the ball, a defender may use his hands or arms only to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver. If the receiver attempts to evade the defender, the defender cannot initiate contact that redirects, restricts, or impedes the receiver in any way. Read that last bit closely. If the receiver attempts to evade the defender, (i.e., run a route, lol) the defender can't initiate contact that redirects, restricts, or impedes the receiver in any way.
Read that last bit closely. If the receiver attempts to evade the defender, (i.e., run a route, lol) the defender can't initiate contact that redirects, restricts, or impedes the receiver in any way. That means a defender can totally harass a receiver running a route, however; just not to the point of affecting their movement in any moderate or major way. A defender can, within the rules, totally paw at, poke, or basically anything they want at a receiver as long as it's light enough not to meet the rule requirement for illegal contact. Most people think this rule means you can't TOUCH a receiver, and that is obviously not true, per the rule. Pete Carroll is a DB guy, and we have a great DB coach. They have taught our guys how to get away with as much as is legally possible within the rules. Most DBs never bother with this on other teams, but our guys harass as much as possible, and it's a beautiful sight. (If you're a Seahawks fan.) There is nothing stopping your DBs from doing the same to our receivers; they just have to be careful and disciplined to keep from impeding their progress or motion in any meaningful way, is all.
Next up, we have the most important one, in my opinion:
Article 7 - End of Restrictions. If the quarterback or the receiver of the snap demonstrates no further intention to pass the ball (i.e., hands off or pitches the ball to another player, throws a forward or backward pass, loses possession of the ball by a muff that touches the ground or a fumble, or if he is tackled) the restrictions on illegal contact and an illegal cut block both end, but the restriction on defensive holding remains in effect.
This is another juicy bit of information. Once the QB basically does anything with the ball, defenders can perform illegal contact, illegal cut blocks, and defensive holding on receivers. Additionally, if the quarterback leaves the pocket, the restrictions on illegal contact and illegal cut blocks end. That means you can just haul off and knock a receiver to the ground at will, as long as it's a technically sound block under the normal rules of blocking. Brandon Browner in particular does this really well. You might remember him laying out Greg Jennings something fierce in the Packers @ Seahawks game last year. He got fined for that, but only because he was late with the hit/block; the runner with the ball was down before he hit Jennings. If he had managed to hit ('block') him before that, it's a legal play, no fine, no flag.
So let's say Crabtree or Boldin is running a go route down a sideline; if Kaepernick simply hands off to Gore, the instant that happens and Browner or any other defender sees it or notices it, they can just haul off on Crabtree or Boldin, free of charge. It's allowed so that the receiver can't come back toward the runner and block other defenders to help spring the runner for a huge gain unimpeded. There is no requirement that the runner be in the vicinity, or anything like that. Our secondary takes full advantage of this, which is why you see them doing chippy stuff that LOOKS like it should be flagged. The majority of the time I see someone shouting that there should be a flag thrown against a Seahawks DB, they're not actually doing anything against the rules. People just don't understand what's actually allowed, and when. (The when is very important when it comes to harassing the hell out of eligible receivers.)
The final piece:
Section 5, Article 1 - It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders the progress of an eligible receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line.
It's only PI if a defender "significantly hinders the progress". Significantly. Meaning, you can maul 'em a bit, just not a LOT, or dramatically so. Another misunderstood penalty by most people; most think simply touching a receiver is cause for PI, when it absolutely is not.
So in summary, once a QB hands off or leaves the pocket, the Legion of Boom can start decking guys at will, AND they are allowed to lightly, or even moderately if they're careful, maul receivers while they're running their routes. All within the rules. Browner and Sherman have truly become masters at this. It's harder to do than it looks. You know how a running back slows down quite a bit the instant he starts protecting the ball by cradling it against his stomach with both hands as he's about to be tackled? Similar logic applies here. It's HARD to do absolutely anything with your hands besides whip them back and forth in the "all-out running motion" and still maintain top speed, or very close to it. We should all be very impressed (sorry enemy fans, this sounds like ego slurping for our guys, and I don't intend it to come across that way) by the way Sherman and Browner are still able to stick with receivers while they are pawing at them and otherwise harassing them as they try to run their routes. There is a fair amount of room for interpretation as to what constitutes "significant" when it comes to preventing movement and motion that varies with each official, obviously, but our guys are so good at it, they annoy the ever-loving crap out of enemy receivers all game long and STILL don't draw flags more than every other secondary in the league.
That is extremely impressive. I hope this helps explain why officials, on the surface, appear to "favor" the Legion of Boom. It's not because they are biased, it's because our guys are just more incredible than most people even realize, and that's really saying something. If anything, enemy fans should be calling out their defensive backs coach for their respective team for not teaching this kind of aggressive harassment that builds up in the minds of opposing receivers, and annoys them to no end. It makes receivers get pissed and do things like just give up on their route, and attack Richard Sherman right after the snap.
