Motion (gridiron football)

Not to be confused with shift (gridiron football).
Tight end Andrew Quarless (81) in motion

In gridiron football, motion refers to the movement of an offensive player at the time of the snap.

While there are different rules regarding motion, most mandate that no more than one player may be in motion at the time of the snap,[1] and the player must not be an offensive lineman (typically, the player in motion is a wide receiver or running back).[2] Additionally, the NFL (professional), NCAA (college), and NFHSAA (high school) require that they be moving laterally or backwards; they are not allowed to be moving towards the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped.[3] The Canadian Football League allows for motion towards the line of scrimmage at the time of the snap,[4] as did the Arena Football League.[5] The Indoor Football League allows two offensive players to engage in forward motion.[6]

  1. ^ "Ask the Official: How Many Players Can Be In Motion Before the Snap?". nflflag.com. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Schwartz, Geoff (31 August 2017). "Learn How to Watch an NFL Game Like an Expert". SB Nation. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "NCAA Rule 7 – Snapping and Passing the Ball". ruletool.info. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ask the Ref: A Conversation with Tom Higgins". cfl.ca. August 8, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  5. ^ "Rules of the Game". arenafan.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "Glossary of Terms". goifl.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.