I was just watching some football highlights and noticed something that got me curious. When a running back stiff-arms a defensive player, a lot of times, he grabs the facemask of that player. And he doesn’t let go. Yet, there is no penalty called. But if the defender touches inadvertantely (5 yds.) or grabs (15 yds.) the runner’s mask, he is assessed the described penalties. Why the double standard?
Well, I think many of the modern NFL rules serve a double standard, they help the offensive team. The holding rules have been liberalized, contact with the passer and kicker has been calmed down a bit.
So, I think on one hand perhaps the rule is for defensive teams to aid offensive game play, since it sells more tickets.
Also, grabbing a face mask while tackling a guy, might have the unfortunate side effect of really hurting a guy’s neck, while the running back just stiff arming, will not have a similar effect.
These are just a couple of guesses, I am not positive why the rules were made.
pat
The rules specifically allow ballcarriers to stiff-arm opposing players’ facemasks without getting called for an incidental facemask penalty (the 5-yard kind).
Technically, they’re not allowed to grasp and grab and can get called for the personal foul variety, though the refs rarely do call them for it.
Yes, you can get called for a facemask while being an offensive player stiff-arming an opponent. For that matter, linemen - who never have the ball (under normal circumstances) and players blocking/trying to get around blockers on special teams have been called for facemask penalties.
The neat thing about NFL officiating is that unlike other sports, there is liable to be a penalty on every play if the officials were to call everything to the letter of the law. Which is why refs have some jurisprudence o the calls they make.
Ask any Bills fan about that… 
Yer pal,
Satan
Well, there’s a big difference.
When the ball carrier stiff arms the defender the defender can always back off.
i.e. the guy whose face mask is being grabbed can always back off, he has the initiative to avoid injury to his neck by backing off.
When the defender grabs the ball carriers face mask the Grabbee cannot back off. i.e. the barrier carrier, the guy whose face mask is being grabbed, does not have the initiative to avoid injury to his neck.
Priccar’s comments about the rules aiding the offense are evident in other sports too. Take hockey for example; the smaller crease, the different overtime rules and enlarging the space behind the goal among others. All of these were started to enhance the offense and thus create a larger audience.
Sorry about the hijack.
We must blame them and cause a fuss before somebody thinks of blaming us.
Sheila Broflofski
The rule is to prevent the defensive player from using the facemask to tackle the opposing player. Which can obviously have quite a wrenching effect on the offensive players neck. (See Jevon Kearse v. Kurt Warner 1/30/00)
Whereas a straightarm merely pushes a players head backwards and furthermore is seen by the defensive player.
If in the future, defensive players begin getting their heads violently thrown around by straightarms they will too become illegal.
Just my 2 cents!
-Frankie
“Mother Mercy, can your loins bear fruit forever?/Is your fecundity a trammel or a treasure?”
-Bad Religion
I have seen ball carriers get called for facemasking if they twist the defender’s helmet. Then they get the 15-yard personal foul.
Football penalties (at the NFL level) are a mixture. Some penalize distance heavily (pass interference). While some just serve to give you an automatic first down (defensive holding, a 5-yard penalty.)
As you go down the chain, college to high school, penalties are more likely to have disproportionate yardages attached to them. I believe that is to help reinforce to younger players that you are not supposed to grab the facemask (always a 15-yard penalty in high school) or clip, etc.
Well, Bob, actually the NFL only had the 15-yard designation until a couple of years ago, when it instigated the 5-yard variety to avoid the major penalty for simply touching the mask and not pulling it.
And FTR, I have SEEN officials call facemasking on people other than the one tackling the bal carrier. I have SEEN it called against a stiff-arming player. I have SEEN linemen get called for it, away from the ball.
Not often, mind you, but it wasn’t a WAG.
Yer pal,
Satan
Well, Bob, actually the NFL only had the 15-yard designation until a couple of years ago, when it instigated the 5-yard variety to avoid the major penalty for simply touching the mask and not pulling it.
And FTR, I have SEEN officials call facemasking on people other than the one tackling the bal carrier. I have SEEN it called against a stiff-arming player. I have SEEN linemen get called for it, away from the ball.
Not often, mind you, but it wasn’t a WAG.
Yer pal,
Satan
The NFL has had the 5 and 15 yard distinction for facemasking for many years. It was the NCAA that added the distinction recently.
In general, pro rules change the most frequently as the game has to be tweaked more often to keep people interested. College and high school rules change mainly in the interest of safety, especially high school rules.
BobT, sorry, but I believe you are incorrect about the facemask penalty in the NFL. I can clearly recall there was only a 15 yard penalty for a long time for this in the NFL. When do you recall this having changed?
Just a note: at the following site: http://nfl.com/fans/rulesschool.html Jerry Seeman, the NFL director of officiating notes in an answer to a question regarding Emmit Smith stiff-arming a Viking on the facemask that stiffarming is allowed if the player does not grab and twist the facemask, which would be a fifteen yard penalty.
In a 1981 book “Football Rules Illustrated” there is a list of penalties.
There are two of interest:
Grasping the facemask - Five Yards
Pulling the facemask - Fifteen Yards
I would imagine that the difference between the two was put on the books in the NFL sometime in the 1970s.
The NCAA had only a 15-yard penalty until the 1990s and in high school football it is always 15 yards.