R 51 Carl Cheffers 20 U 49 Rich Hall 16 DJ 48 Jim Mello 16 LJ 18 Byron Boston 25 FJ 56 Allen Baynes 12 SJ 5 Jim Quirk 10 BJ 119 Greg Wilson 12 ALT 122 Brad Allen 6 ALT 121 Paul King 11 ALT 16 Kevin Codey 5 ALT 58 Don Willard 2
As part of the rules changes to the kickoff that were enacted in 2018, it is a foul for an illegal double team block if 2 or more players of the receiving team block an opponent together, if they weren’t both in the setup zone, the area 15 yards from the spot of the kick, when the ball was kicked.
The Saints were hit with a personal foul penalty for an illegal double team block on the last kickoff.
Shades of the Bills-Texans confusion coming out of halftime, there was apparently some deliberation on a potential fair-catch signal.
If any Saints player made a fair-catch signal (hand over head, with a side-to-side wave), it is a dead ball at the 9, the spot of the catch. It does not have to be the receiver that makes the signal to shut the play down.
If any of the deep players for the Saints raised a hand over shoulder-level, it would be an invalid fair-catch signal, and also a dead ball on the catch. The foul would be 5 yards (or half distance) from the spot of the illegal signal.
There is an exception that a player can raise a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, which is obviously not a consideration in a dome.
Thought the crew was overall solid. Mello missed a false start early in the game that ended up resulting in a turnover. Boston had a few iffy spots plus a bad holding call and Baynes did not call the OPI at the end of the game.
Cheffers- 3.7 Hall- 3.7 Mello- 2.9. Actually had a good game after the missed false start but that was a humungous miss. Boston- 3.2 looked a bit shaky in general Quirk- 3.7 Wilson- 3.7 Baynes- 3.4
So, do tell, how hard does a receiver have to push the defender off before it does rise to the level of a foul? Seems to me his arm was extended at a clear advantage was gained by doing that.