PIT TOUCH and FLAG FOOTBALL in WINNIPEG MANITOBA - FOOTBALL!

254 Posts

So, if someone can correct me if im wrong I would appreciate it, But i was under the belief that if a receiver catches a ball, and is touched simultaneously, that is not a tag, or if a receiver catches the ball while at the same time a defenders shoulder or some other body part brushes against him, that is also not considered a tag. I was told by our head ref today that if a player catches a ball and is tagged at the same time, that it actually IS considered a tag

3774 Posts

If an attempt is made to make a tag by a defender then a tag may be called. If there is no attempt to make a tag and the players bump into each other it is not a tag. Many times however there are simultaneous catch and tags. A good defender will always have a trailing hand on a receiver to ensure a tag is made if they miss the ball. Without actually seeing the play it is impossible to know if this occurred, however it is possible to tag someone at the same time as they catch the ball.

The PIT Crew

26 Posts

Generally it all depends on how the defender played the pass and how the refs interpret the play. If he is playing the ball and happens to brush the receiver, then it is no tag. On the play in question, it was fairly clear to our crew that the defender made a deliberate tag at the same time the ball arrived and was caught, thus it is a tag.

I also think you are alluding to another play in which the defender may not have actually used his hand to touch the receiver and the back judge blew the play dead as a tag. I let the play stand as it was called, but could have ruled it an inadvertant whistle, but it would still have been a catch and dead ball at the spot as the receiver did not have a clear path to the endzone after the catch, so there would have been no change in the outcome of the play.

Leslie