This was definitely one of the strangest plays that I have ever seen. I had no idea why the referee ran up behind the center and why he was delaying Cam Newton’s ability to snap the ball. At first it looked like someone had accidentally let the Replacement Referee’s back onto the field.
According to the former Vice President of Officials for the NFL, Mike Pereira here is the reason for it.
In the WSH/CAR game at 4:22 of 3rd quarter CAR substituted late & defense gets right to match up. If play clock expires it's delay.
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) November 4, 2012
This personally surprised me that this was a rule, but it’s times like these where I’m glad people like Mike Pereira exist so they can explain the little intricacies of the rulebook.
Via: SB Nation
