Crackback blocks

[tims4wins]

We all saw the Thomas Davis hit that earned him a suspension, and rightly so.

I wanted to point out something that happened in the Pats game that no one seems to be talking about.

On the Smith-Schuster 69 yard catch and run on the final drive, Le'veon Bell had the chance to absolutely light up McCourty. It probably would have even been a legal hit, as he was moving sideline to sideline (I forget how the rule is written exactly). But instead of slamming into McCourty, Bell simply gets in his way, which was just as effective as leveling him. I think Bell deserves praise for this, and I think it is proof that these types of devastating blocks simply aren't necessary in football.

So props to Bell for playing that way.

 

[CFB_Rules]

Pedant ON: Crackbacks are only blocks below the waist. And even if Davis had gone low, it technically would have been a peel back since the block was north-south instead of east-west. Direction of the block matters as to whether it's a foul.

OFF: This has been measured in the NCAA game, where targeting (like the Davis hit) is an automatic ejection. These types of hits have been dramatically reduced. Of course they aren't necessary, it actually takes much LESS force to remove someone from a play when they don't see you coming than it would if they could brace themselves.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Pedant ON: Crackbacks are only blocks below the waist. And even if Davis had gone low, it technically would have been a peel back since the block was north-south instead of east-west. Direction of the block matters as to whether it's a foul.

OFF: This has been measured in the NCAA game, where targeting (like the Davis hit) is an automatic ejection. These types of hits have been dramatically reduced. Of course they aren't necessary, it actually takes much LESS force to remove someone from a play when they don't see you coming than it would if they could brace themselves.

Crackback blocks aren’t just below the waist. Crackbacks have been used for years on toss sweep plays. It used to be called a crack toss.

 

[Curt S Loew]

Crackback blocks aren’t just below the waist. Crackbacks have been used for years on toss sweep plays. It used to be called a crack toss.

Correct. ILLEGAL crackbacks are below the waist.

 

[JVglove2face]

I believe all blocks below the waist outside of the LOS are illegal. 'Crackback' is actually an outdated term. They are now using illegal blind-side blocks which fall under the same 'defenseless player' protections that keep receivers from being popped while making a catch. This coincides with the rules we use in high school football in NH and a quick google of NFL rules.

 

[The Needler]

I believe all blocks below the waist outside of the LOS are illegal. 'Crackback' is actually an outdated term. They are now using illegal blind-side blocks which fall under the same 'defenseless player' protections that keep receivers from being popped while making a catch. This coincides with the rules we use in high school football in NH and a quick google of NFL rules.

Blocks below the waist downfield on non-special teams plays are legal if they come from the front, and outdated or not, "crackback" is a term used in the rulebook.

 

[Bowhemian]

When I was coaching HS football, we used crack back blocks all the time, perfectly legal. For example, when you see a WR lined up in the slot, and his move is to go parallel towards the DE or LB on that side. When the play starts moving to that side, the DE or LB starts reacting that way, and there is the WR to throw that crack block. IIRC, Edelman had that assignment on the SB51 winning play.