THE NFL has become more and more of a passing league in recent years.
But with long completions and big plays also come plenty of penalties.
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One such penalty is for an ineligible man downfield, which can be a confusing rule to understand.
There are a number of ways an offensive player can be deemed ineligible to receive a pass in the NFL.
By definition, anybody wearing a shirt number from 50 to 79 is deemed ineligible.
That is unless they have signalled to the referee before a play that they wish to be eligible and take up a suitable position.
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They must then be in a position on the end of the line of scrimmage or be in the backfield.
Any player not lined up on either end of the offensive line or at least one yard behind the line of scrimmage is ineligible.
If an ineligible receiver does advance down the field then a penalty flag will be thrown.
It will result in a five-yard penalty against the offence and a replay of the down.
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Offensive linemen are only allowed to go one yard downfield when run blocking or in pass protection.
It is up to the player to check with the referee whether he is eligible to receive a pass or not before the ball is snapped.
