How to Signal Delay of Game & Encroachment in Football

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Brian Currier and I'm here on behalf of Expert Village. I'm here to talk about football penalties and the hand signals that the officials give to indicate the penalties. A number of the penalties have different rules associated with them depending upon the level of football you're talking about whether it's high school, college or the NFL. As much as possible we'll indicate where those differences are. The Delay of Game penalty can be assessed on either the offense or the defense. Most often, it's assessed on the offense when the offense takes more than the allotted time to get the play started. While it is rare for the Delay of Game to be called on the defense, it can be called when the officials feel that the defense is taking an inordinate amount of time to get reset for the next play. The signal for delay of game is (visual demo). Encroachment is the penalty called when the defense invades the neutral zone prior to the snap of the ball. At the high school level, anytime the defense breaks the plane into the neutral zone, it is a penalty. At the NFL level, the defense can get back as long as it does not touch a player on the offensive side. The signal for Encroachment is (video demo). Each of these penalties, Delay of Game and Encroachment, carry a five yard assessment."