12 Men on the Field Penalty

Bwm57

All-Conference
Sep 12, 2011
3,699
1,067
103
Seems like a Bill Belichik loophole here.
I never realized 12 men on the field isn’t a pre-snap penalty.
Why not throw 12, 13, 14 on defense in the last minute when you have the lead?
You get a 5 yard penalty, but who cares because the team on offense loses the time burned off the clock each play?
 

TheC

Senior
May 29, 2001
18,640
790
62
Seems like a Bill Belichik loophole here.
I never realized 12 men on the field isn’t a pre-snap penalty.
Why not throw 12, 13, 14 on defense in the last minute when you have the lead?
You get a 5 yard penalty, but who cares because the team on offense loses the time burned off the clock each play?
I was thinking the same thing
 
Aug 13, 2002
3,221
268
0
Seems like a Bill Belichik loophole here.
I never realized 12 men on the field isn’t a pre-snap penalty.
Why not throw 12, 13, 14 on defense in the last minute when you have the lead?
You get a 5 yard penalty, but who cares because the team on offense loses the time burned off the clock each play?
In this case, Miami wisely discontinued this strategy because if they employed it, we would have no opportunity to fumble.
 

Medill '03

Sophomore
Nov 22, 2001
4,106
130
62
Seems like a Bill Belichik loophole here.
I never realized 12 men on the field isn’t a pre-snap penalty.
Why not throw 12, 13, 14 on defense in the last minute when you have the lead?
You get a 5 yard penalty, but who cares because the team on offense loses the time burned off the clock each play?
I thought the same thing! Never realized before. Genius.
 

Styre

Junior
Oct 14, 2004
7,649
282
83
Seems like a Bill Belichik loophole here.
I never realized 12 men on the field isn’t a pre-snap penalty.
Why not throw 12, 13, 14 on defense in the last minute when you have the lead?
You get a 5 yard penalty, but who cares because the team on offense loses the time burned off the clock each play?

If you line up with 12+ men on the field in defensive formation, and the extra players are making no effort to leave the field, it's a dead ball foul. If the extra players are trying to run off the field but the offense snaps the ball before they are able to do so, the play is allowed to continue.
 

Rebel II1

Redshirt
Dec 7, 2021
1,771
0
0
Seems like a Bill Belichik loophole here.
I never realized 12 men on the field isn’t a pre-snap penalty.
Why not throw 12, 13, 14 on defense in the last minute when you have the lead?
You get a 5 yard penalty, but who cares because the team on offense loses the time burned off the clock each play?
And it's only a five yard penalty? That is not much of a punishment for having created a huge disadvantage for the offense. I think I'd consider doing it on every late game situation. Why not 16 guys on D? Rush 8 and drop 8 and take a 5 yard penalty!!!
 
Last edited:

Styre

Junior
Oct 14, 2004
7,649
282
83
And it's only a five yard penalty? That is not much of a punishment for having created a huge disadvantage for the offense. I think I'd consider doing it on every late game situation. Why not 16 guys on D? Rush 8 and drop 8 and take a 5 yard penalty!!!

Because, as I said in the post above this one, if you deliberately run extra guys out there it's a dead ball foul. This rule was changed 10 years ago at both the NFL and NCAA levels after the NY Giants used an extra player on defense in the waning moments of their second Super Bowl win over the Patriots.