What is the difference between offsides, neutral zone infraction, and encroachment?

Question

I watch football a lot and defenses get called on these. They all look the same. What is the difference?

Answer 1

Broncosfan247 is mostly right, however, a defensive player can jump offsides before the snap all he wants, as long as: he's back on his side before the ball is snapped, he doesn't startle an offensive lineman and make them jump, and he doesn't touch anyone or have a clear path to the quarterback.

Here's more precise definitions:



Offsides: A member of the defense is on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage during the snap



Neutral Zone Infraction: Before the snap, a member of the defense jumps into the neutral zone, causing an offensive player to false start. (Neutral zone is the length of the football when spotted on the ground).



Encroachment: Before the snap, a member of the defense crosses the line of scrimmage and touches an offensive player, or has a clear path to the quarterback.

Answer 2

The difference is that offsides is the defensive player being across the neutral zone when the ball is hiked, encroachment is when the defensive player hits the offensive lineman which causes a false start (or not, it's encroachment either way), and neutral zone infraction is when a defensive player crosses into the neutral zone and causes the offensive player to false start (but he doesn't touch the offensive player, just causes him to move by entering the neutral zone). I think that stopping the clock when a player runs out of bounds occurs only at certain levels and maybe at only certain times of the game(?).

Answer 3

Offsides: Being past the line scrimmage before the snap.

Neutral Zone Infraction: Being in the "neutral zone" before the snap. The neutral zone is basically the the length of the football. I hope that makes sense.

Encroachment: Touching an opposing player before the snap.

Answer 4

Offside is when you are above the line of scrimmage neutral zone infraction is when you are to close to the ball before it is hiked but your not offside and enchroachment is when you touch an offensive player before the ball is hiked