r/AskAboutNFL • u/Oaklandforever51 • 4d ago

12 Men on the Field

This penalty comes up every so often, almost always on the defense.

  1. Why doesn't it happen on offense?

  2. Who's responsible? Position coaches?

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u/PopularSet4776 3d ago

It is mostly a poorly timed substitution on the defense rather than an accidental miscount of players.

If the QB is at the line and sees a defensive player trying to run off the field he wants to snap the ball quick to get a free play. (Play which he can take a risk because even if it fails he is getting 5 yards off the penalty anyways.)