Rules
The spirit behind the MAFIA classic is
to have friends get together and play a football game that is
as close to "real" football as possible while
maintaining a level of safety that allows us to all come back
and play the following year. To meet these objectives,
all NFL rules apply unless otherwise addressed in the rules
below. |
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| Referee |
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Lines
up about 10 yd behind offense |
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Oversight
and control of game |
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Reports
all fouls |
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Determines
legality of snap |
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Checks
for legal blocking on running and passing plays |
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Determines
forward progress of runner |
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Responsible
for roughing the passer calls, late hit |
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Determines
fumble or forward pass by QB |
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Responsible
for safety of kicker (running into or roughing the
kicker) |
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| Umpire |
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Lines
up 20yd down field, off-center, opposite of Line Judge (LJ) |
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Responsible
for receivers on his side of field |
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Rules
on complete, incomplete or trapped balls |
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Calls
any pass interference |
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Calls
any holding by receiver or defender |
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Calls
push-offs by receivers or defenders (illegal use of
hands) |
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| Line
Judge |
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Lines
up directly on line of scrimmage outside of WR opposite
of Ump |
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Responsible
for offside and encroachment |
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Responsible
for receivers on his side |
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Rules
on flight of ball (forward or backward pass) |
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Determines
if football is behind or beyond the line of scrimmage
when thrown |
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| Officiating
- Key Things to Watch |
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Off-sides
(defense or offense) |
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False
starts |
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Pass
Interference |
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Forward
or backward pass |
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Spotting
of ball |
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In
bounds or out of bounds |
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Complete
or incomplete passes |
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Only
stop play for off-sides, play clock violation or false
start |
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| Penalties |
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5 yards |
10 yards |
15 yards |
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Offside,
encroachment, false start |
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Offensive
pass interference |
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Chop
block (below knees) |
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Offensive
holding/ illegal use of hands |
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Defensive
holding or illegal use of hands (pushing
off)-automatic first down |
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Intentional
grounding (loss of down) |
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Illegal
Crack back block (lining up 2 or more yards from
line and blocking below waste) |
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Forward
pass thrown beyond line of scrimmage (loss of
down) |
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Unnecessary
roughness/ unsportsmanlike conduct |
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Illegal
shift or motion |
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Deliberately
batting, punching or kicking loose ball |
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Piling
on (automatic first down) |
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Too
many players on field |
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Roughing
kicker (automatic first down), roughing passer |
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Kicker
or QB who simulates roughing |
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Running
and jumping then landing on players to block a
kick |
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| Fumbles |
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If
ball is fumbled forward out of bounds, ball is marked at
spot of fumble. |
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Touchback
if ball is fumbled out of opponents end zone |
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On
4th down, only fumbler can advance fumble, if
offense recovers ball past spot of fumble then ball is
marked at original spot of fumble |
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Only
fumbler can advance fumble inside 2 minutes of each half |
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Only
fumbler can advance ball during 2 point conversion |
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| Timing |
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Quarters:
15 minutes |
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Time
between quarters: 2 minutes |
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Half
time: 12 minutes |
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Time
Outs: 40 seconds (3 per half) |
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Play
Clock: 40 seconds allowed between plays or 25 after refs
stop play |
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If
defense is losing inside last 30 seconds of either half,
has no time outs and commits a foul then offense may
elect to decline penalty and have time run off of clock |
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Clock
is only stopped on "out-of-bounds" plays when
there is less than two minutes remaining in the half. |
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| Kicking |
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No
kickoffs unless it’s an on-sides kick.
Ball will be placed at 20 yd line every time
unless an on sides kick is attempted, then it will be
kicked from the 35 yd line |
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There
will be punts, extra points along with 2 point
conversions |
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Extra
point kicks can not be returned if blocked or fumbled,
but fumbled snaps can then be ran in or passed for 2
points |
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No
fumbles or interceptions during conversions after
touchdowns can be run back or scored on |
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| Other
Notes |
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When
in doubt of a penalty, always throw a flag and worry
about it afterwards.
If ref or refs are not sure then it will be
discussed by captains of teams |
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Time
will most likely be kept by someone on the sidelines |
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Everyone
EXCEPT the center and the two closest linemen to the
center are eligible for a pass |
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Whistle
will be blown for stoppage of play with: false start,
illegal motion, or encroachment (contact by defense
before snap) |
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No
one may catch a ball after they ran or have been pushed
out of bounds (incomplete pass) |
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TAKE
CHARGE! DON’T BE AFRAID TO BLOW THE WHISTLE OR THROW A
FLAG FOR ANY PENALTY THAT YOU SEE.
THE MORE PENALTIES YOU CALL THE BETTER, THEN
EVERYONE WILL TRY NOT TO FOUL. |
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