ARTICLE 10.There shall be no chop blocking (Rule 2-3-3).
Approved Ruling 9-1-10 I. On a forward pass play, A75 is blocking B66 at the waist behind the neutral zone. While A75 maintains contact, A47 subsequently blocks B66 at his thigh. RULING: Chop block, 15 yards from the previous spot.
Approved Ruling 9-1-10 II. As the flow of the play moves to the left, right tackle A77 is disengaging from his block above the thigh with B50 when A27 blocks B50 at his knee. RULING: Chop block, 15 yards. Previous-spot enforcement if the foul occurs behind the neutral zone.
Approved Ruling 9-1-10 III. Immediately after the snap, left guard A65 and left tackle A79 simultaneously block B66, who is in the neutral zone. (a) Both blocks are at the thigh. (b) One contact is at the waist and the other at the knee. RULING: (a) Legal blocks for a low-low combination. (b) Foul, chop block.
Approved Ruling 9-1-10 IV. Tight end A87 and wingback A43 are leading the play when both simultaneously block linebacker B17, who is three yards beyond the neutral zone. (a) Both blocks are above the waist. (b) One block is above the waist and the other at the knee. RULING: (a) Legal blocks. (b) Foul, chop block.
Approved Ruling 9-1-10 V. After snapping the ball, snapper A54 brushes by nose guard B62 on his way to block a linebacker. A54 makes slight contact with B62, or B62 reaches out and uses his arm to initiate contact with A54. While B62 and A54 are in contact, right guard A68 blocks B62 at the knee from the front. RULING: Legal. A54 is not blocking B62. The incidental contact or B62’s initiating contact does not constitute part of a combination block, and hence there is no chop block.
