2024 6A State Title PCC vs SJP
- By tulla
- Pennsylvania Football Talk
- 23 Replies
There's a lot to what you say. I'd add that especially on punt returns players on the kicking team routinely make a turn just before getting blocked that results in a blocking in the back penalty. Sometimes the turn can be quite slight, and sometimes it's not so much blocking in the back as blocking on the side toward the back--if you know what I mean. There are also times when a flag is thrown when the block in the back happens so far away from the ball carrier that it's almost impossible to imagine the block making any difference.Not sure about Harrisburg, but special teams seem to be a mystery almost everywhere. Watch the NFL; there seems to be a braindead penalty on every kick/punt or kick/punt return. Could it be that football players, unlike soccer and hockey, aren't exposed to being creative in open space as often? Football is such a schematic-based sport on O and D (all 11 start in similar locations every play), but special teams require players to react to a new situation almost every time.
All that said, I agree that some of the roughing the kicker, holding, and blocking in the back penalties are the result of dumb decisions / poor coaching / carelessness.