Cleveland Browns: What constitutes a first down?
By Joel W. Cade
Cleveland Browns fans know NFL chain operations aren’t an easy thing
The Cleveland Browns have been on the wrong end of many first-down measurements. The recent game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers highlighted once again just how inconsistent NFL officiating is when it comes to measuring first downs.
The controversy (this time) surrounds what looks like a bad call on a Browns potential first down against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It looks like a bad call because the Steelers were awarded a first down on what looks to be the exact same ball placement.
In the span of 96 hours, one of these was called a first down, one of these was not.
— Adam Chernoff (@adamchernoff) December 2, 2020
You tell me which is which... pic.twitter.com/UtoM8WAvXQ
All Browns fans need is a reason to cry foul of officiating. This is not without good reason. Browns fans have seen their dreams and hopes dashed by poor officiating.
On a whim, I decided to look up just exactly how these measurements are defined in the NFL rulebook. The subsequent rabbit hole I fell down left me a bit uneasy and disoriented. What should be an idea so simple and easy to understand should not be this difficult to define. The only thing more complex than an NFL first down is defining what constitutes a catch.
The NFL rule is outlined in Rule 7, Section 3, Article 1. Here is how the NFL rule defines how a team can achieve a new series of downs (or first down):
"“ARTICLE 1. NEW SERIES FOR TEAM A A new series of four scrimmage downs is awarded to Team A when the following conditions exist: (a) During a given series, the ball is declared dead in possession of Team A while at or beyond the line to gain. (b) Enforcement of a foul by Team B results in the placement of the ball at or beyond the line to gain, or if the enforcement of a foul awards an automatic first down to Team A. (c) If there is a change of possession during the down, and Team A has possession at the end of the down. (d) The kicking team recovers a scrimmage kick anywhere in the field of play after it first has been touched beyond the line of scrimmage by the receivers. See 9-3-2-Item 1. (e) The kicking team legally recovers a free kick.”"
Article 1(a) is of most importance to this discussion. A team can obtain a new series of downs when the line to gain has been reached or gone beyond. But how exactly is that determined? Here is where it gets dicey.
To measure if the ball has reached or gone beyond the line to gain, NFL officiating crews use the archaic (but loved) chain gangs. These are the guys with the big orange “sticks” that are separated by 10 yards of chain (in theory at least) that safeguard the sacred distance needed for a team to obtain a new series of downs. We have seen these people on the sidelines, but what do they really do?