Why do they make an offense have 7 on the LOS? I just don?t see what advantage having 5+ in the backfield gives.
Printable View
Why do they make an offense have 7 on the LOS? I just don?t see what advantage having 5+ in the backfield gives.
It's all about easily telling which 5 are ineligible to go down field for a pass. It helps the defense determine which 5 are ineligible.Quote:
Originally Posted by starkvegasdawg34
Players who are on the end of the line of scrimmage are eligible to receive a pass. If you were to only have linemen on the LOS, then you would have 8 people who are eligible to touch the ball. QB, 5 Receivers, 2 tackles.Quote:
Originally Posted by starkvegasdawg34
Back before 1905, offenses had the flying wedge. Turns out, this formation gave players a huge head start at running towards the line. When 19 college kids were killed one season, President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban the game.
They came up with the 7 men on the line rule to keep players from getting a huge head start. They also formed the NCAA and legalized the forward pass.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_c...ootball_season