Can't stop an offense? Make it illegal!

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Come on Hamas. Please tell me what made any of those listed formations illegal? Each one of those formations fulfills the rules for pass eligibility for an offensive play.

The reason A-11 is different than each of the offenses you listed, is that the A-11 isn't an offense. It's a formation only allowed for a scrimmage kick. It can't even be called an "offense". It's only seen as legal when in the formation for a scrimmage kick. And only then if all the players are wearing "receiver" jersey numbers. The fact that these teams are passing out of a scrimmage kick formation is the entire point here.

The Wing T, The I-Formation, The West Coast Offense, the Shotgun formation, the Option, Flexbone, Wishbone, the Run and Shoot, the K-Gun, and the Spread all are legal offensive formations. And each of those can be run regardless of receiver jersey numbers. None of these offenses require that you call the formation something other than an "offensive formation".

Do you recall the debate over the legality of the forward pass?

Or the fact that pre-snap motion could have been considered exploiting a loophole.

Or the tackle eligible play.

The huddle.

7 guys on the line

The funny thing is that the inferior talent of Notre Dame triumphed over the powerhouses of the day, like Army, by using a little known and employed system called the forward pass, something strangely similar to how these A-11 schools can compete with inferior talent.

Would you feel comfortable in telling Knute Rockne that his offensive scheme was "not football"?