penalties for missing mouthpiece?

[AlistarWills]

Isn't there supposed to be an equipment violation for players without the proper equipment? I keep seeing players without mouthpieces and it drives me nuts. Of course, said players are just asking for a concussion and a bunch of broken teeth when they get a slobberknocker delivered to them.

 

[kyallie]

The first time they need it and don't have it, will be the last. Good question, I don't know. :conf3:

 

[crimsonaudio]

Mandatory Equipment
ARTICLE 4. All players shall wear the following mandatory equipment,
which shall be professionally manufactured and not altered to decrease
protection:

a. Knee pads. Soft knee pads at least 1/2-inch thick that must cover the
knees and be covered by pants. No pads or protective equipment may be
worn outside the pants. Players of a team shall wear pants of the same
color and design.
b. Helmet. A helmet with a face mask and a secured four- or six-point
chin strap. If a chin strap is not secured, it is a violation. Officials
should inform players when all snaps are not secured without charging
a timeout unless the player ignores the warning. Players of a team shall
wear helmets of the same color and design, and face masks of the same
color.
c. Other pads. Shoulder pads, hip pads with tailbone protector and thigh
guards.
d. Mouthpiece. An intra-oral mouthpiece of any readily visible color
(not white or transparent) with FDA-approved base materials (FDCS)
that covers all upper teeth. It is recommended that the mouthpiece be
properly fitted.
e. Jersey. One jersey, with sleeves that completely cover the shoulder pads,
that is not altered or designed to tear and conforms with Rules 1-4-3
and 1-4-4-f. The jersey must be full-length and tucked into the pants.
Vests and/or a second jersey worn concurrently during the game are
prohibited.
f. Numerals. Clearly visible, permanent Arabic numerals on one jersey at
least 8 and 10 inches in height front and back, respectively, of a color(s)
in distinct contrast with the jersey. All players of a team shall have the
same color and style numbers front and back. The individual bars must
be approximately 1-1/2 inches wide. Numbers on any part of the uniform
shall correspond with the mandatory front and back jersey numbers.
g. Memorial insignias. In the case of death or catastrophic injury or illness,
a person may be memorialized by an insignia not greater than 1-1/2
inches in diameter that displays the number, name or initials of the
individual on the uniform or helmet.
h. Socks. All squad members must wear visible socks or leg coverings that
are identical in color, design and length (Exceptions: Unaltered knee
braces, tape or a bandage to protect or prevent an injury, and barefoot
kickers) (A.R. 1-4-4-I).

Note: If a player is not wearing mandatory equipment in compliance in all
respects with Rule 1-4-4, the team shall be charged a timeout and the player
shall not be permitted to play until he complies. VIOLATION—Rules 3-3-6
and 3-4-2-b-2 [S23, S3 or S21].

See d above and the note that follows (bold added)...

 

[Dallas4Bama]

Isn't there supposed to be an equipment violation for players without the proper equipment? I keep seeing players without mouthpieces and it drives me nuts. Of course, said players are just asking for a concussion and a bunch of broken teeth when they get a slobberknocker delivered to them.

Happens all the time and some of our guys are the worst offenders.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Happens all the time and some of our guys are the worst offenders.

The funny ones are the QB's the only put them in on pass plays...

 

[UAME]

It is a rule that players must wear a mouthpiece. The penalty for any "essential equipment" violation is a timeout charged to the team to get the player properly equipped. I've never seen it called. My experience, if the ref noticed it, was for the ref simply to say, "Put your mouthpiece in."

If you think any ref is going to charge a timeout for a mouthpiece and possibly effect the outcome of a multi-million dollar, multi-million TV viewer college football game, you are crazy.

My guess is that with all the substitution rules and huddle violations and other general duties that must be attended to during the down time between snaps, that the officiating crew doesn't try to check 22 mouths for appropriate plastic.

Not saying it's not important, but there's certainly no competitive advantage involved. Players have to be responsible for their own well-being.

 

[Dallas4Bama]

The funny ones are the QB's the only put them in on pass plays...

Yep, but Greg left his out on the pass play we ran right before the half when he threw the pick. I think that was part of the plan to throw off the D. The mind games that are played across the field are so funny.

 

[gmart74]

some of them are specially fitted and not all that noticeable. that might explain a few but i agree that everyone needs to wear them especially these days with so much info on concussions.

 

[92Bama]

A team that I coach (Rec league) was penalized 5 yards for "Illegal Participation" because a RB had his mouth piece hanging from his helmet while calling the cadence (from the Single-wing).

I think the rule is different in high-school.

 

[p'colabamaman]

I was just reading Rule a that's posted above about knee pads and pants are supposed to cover the knee, but I see lots of players that are wearing their pants up above their knees. Apparently this rule isn't enforced very strictly either.

 

[Jessica4Bama]

This is a somewhat off topic question, but since obviously I could never play tackle football, I was wandering if it hurts every time you get hit or do you get used to it? These boys just pop right back up, but I feel like if I ever got the opportunity to get hit like that, I wouldn't be getting up. The pads seem like they wouldn't help much.

 

[AlistarWills]

This is a somewhat off topic question, but since obviously I could never play tackle football, I was wandering if it hurts every time you get hit or do you get used to it? These boys just pop right back up, but I feel like if I ever got the opportunity to get hit like that, I wouldn't be getting up. The pads seem like they wouldn't help much.

the answer is, sometimes. your body gets conditioned to it so only the slobberknockers that are 'so hard your momma feels em' that hurt. we used to do "green bays" other call em 'grass drills' that you are basically running in place then dropping to your gut and get right back up. that constant impact tightens up about every muscle in your body so you get used to the blows.

 

[AlistarWills]

some of them are specially fitted and not all that noticeable. that might explain a few but i agree that everyone needs to wear them especially these days with so much info on concussions.

I don't think Camputer owns one. Never saw one in his helmet, or mouth. Saw him smackin on some green gum. That's what tipped me off to looking for them. Yeah, with all we know about concussions now, it would be to a coach's advantage to make sure his players are properly outfitted with the best money can buy.

 

[cbi1972]

This is a somewhat off topic question, but since obviously I could never play tackle football, I was wandering if it hurts every time you get hit or do you get used to it? These boys just pop right back up, but I feel like if I ever got the opportunity to get hit like that, I wouldn't be getting up. The pads seem like they wouldn't help much.

In high school, I used to play pickup tackle football with some of the other kids after school wearing no pads or helmets. We didn't play to hurt each other, or as rough as competitive teams do, but it was physical, considering the lack of protection. About the worst I got out of it were some bruises, skinned knees and elbows, and probably an undiagnosed concussion when I tackled someone and they landed on my head, leaving me a bit loopy for the rest of the evening.

It's something to get used to. It is also something that is easier to take when you are younger. If I tried to do that today, I think I would be visiting the emergency room within 15 minutes.

 

[lazlohollyfeld]

This is a somewhat off topic question, but since obviously I could never play tackle football, I was wandering if it hurts every time you get hit or do you get used to it? These boys just pop right back up, but I feel like if I ever got the opportunity to get hit like that, I wouldn't be getting up. The pads seem like they wouldn't help much.

"hurting" is very subjective. Every so often it would actually "hurt" to get tackled, and occasionally when tackling someone.

Think about running as fast as you can and hitting another similarly sized human who is running just as fast or faster, wrapping your arms around them, and taking them to the ground. You are concentrating on bringing the ball carrier down, not breaking your fall, etc. Do you get cut, bruised, etc, your arm or elbow slamming into the ground wrapped around someone who weighs 190 lbs, then having another 350-400 lbs (or more) come down on top of you? And similarly as a ball carrier you are (ideally) worried about securing the ball, not breaking your fall, etc. So you land in odd positions, knees first, shoulder first, flat on your back, etc.

So there is more continual "discomfort" rather than "hurting". The hurting comes, as I recall, from not being ready for the hit, from being blind sided. That is when it really, really can hurt. I was slobberknocked once, by Jessie Armistead (who later played at Miami and went to a few Pro Bowls with the Giants). I was playing as a TE, he was a MLB and I made the mistake of catching a ball over the middle right in front of him and I was hit so hard I left my feet and was driven into the ground. And everything hurt; ribs, chest, shoulder, even my teeth hurt. And I instantly developed a headache that stayed with me the rest of the night. And I never ran a route back over the middle.

 

[TideEngineer08]

This is why I've never understood rugby.

And by the way, I specifically remember an Auburn game during the Tator Tot years, in which they had a WR penalized for not having his knee pads over his knees.

As someone else said, it's obviously not enforced today.

 

[RamJamHam]

This is a somewhat off topic question, but since obviously I could never play tackle football, I was wandering if it hurts every time you get hit or do you get used to it? These boys just pop right back up, but I feel like if I ever got the opportunity to get hit like that, I wouldn't be getting up. The pads seem like they wouldn't help much.

Most of the hits you see are not nearly as bad as they are made out to be by the commentators. On the really big ones you don't need them to tell you it was a big one. Also, most of the guys are pretty good at getting ready to receive a blow or, as in the cases of Mark and Trent, just giving them out rather than taking them.

What always hurt me worse, except for a couple memorable occasions, was the accumulation of blows where you couldn't walk the next morning. And that was just from pickup games on the Quad on Friday afternoon. I can't imagine what some of our linemen must feel like on Sunday morning.

 

[kayakerjess]

I have a full-page newspaper picture of Javy returning a punt for a TD against UT-Chatt. last year, and his mouthpiece is stuck in the top of his facemask. I've always thought that especially on a kick/punt return, with the violent high speed collisions, a mouthpiece is NOT optional. But, hey - I never played D1 football, so who am I to criticize.

In my son's pee-wee league, they would penalize you 5 yards for no mouthpiece. That will really tick off a coach, let me tell you.

 

[bama_fan01]

Let me throw a different slant at this - I used to umpire HS baseball, and we did everything we could to prevent dishing out penalties, i.e., having a catcher go out and tell his pitcher that what he was doing was a balk and not to do it anymore. I think most officials use preventive officiating rather than call what could be percieved as a nit-pick penalty.
Just another comment - it didn't always work. I called a balk that scored a run after warning the pitcher he couldn't take the signs from the catcher unless he was in contact with the rubber. He did it again, and I called it. The coach was furious - with the kid for not listening!

 

[Samdog91]

Jessica it hurts for the first week or so of fall camp. You get bruised and beat up and are sore but after that your body adapts. Eventually you dont even bruise really. Hits to the head are different but you knew that already. The adrenaline during games is what makes most people pop up after a big hit. Of course your muscles are tired after a game after all that wears off. I can tell you honestly that those hits hurt me alot more 10 years down the road than they did then. Playing college ball pretty much means you'll pay for that contact later in life. So when you see a college player give him a hug for all the pain he will have down the road.