gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...

, a chop block is an attempt by an offensive player to cut block (block at the thigh level or lower) a defensive player while the defender is already engaged by another offensive player. The chop block is usually considered illegal and penalized by a loss of 15-yards due to the injury risk it presents to the defender.

NFL

Since the 2016 season In the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), a chop block is an illegal move, penalized by a 15-yard loss. Before the 2016 NFL owners meeting, chop blocks were legal under certain circumstances. It was considered legal on running plays when (i) the blockers were aligned next to each other on the line of scrimmage, (ii) the blockers were lined up anywhere on the line and the flow of the play is towards the block or (iii) the cut blocker was aligned in the backfield and the chop block took place outside the original

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

position. The cut blocker is said to "chop" the defender and usually engages simultaneously with or immediately after the high block. A "reverse chop" occurs when the high block comes immediately after the low block and the same rules apply.

NCAA

In the NCAA, chop blocks are penalized by a 15-yard loss. Chop blocks were first banned in the NCAA in 1980.

CFL

In the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL), chop blocking is defined as cut blocking a player already engaged, physically or otherwise, with another blocker. It is always illegal and carries a 15-yard penalty.

Injury risks

Although there were many variations and reforms made to the chop block technique, it was finally deemed illegal prior to the 2016–2017 season in the NFL, mainly due to the high probability of athlete injury. In its very nature, the chop block technique aims for the thigh area and lower, which leaves the player being chop blocked susceptible to knee and ankle injury. This kind of contact, towards the knee and ankle, can lead to injuries such as torn

medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), also called the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint and occurs in ...

s (MCL) and

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

s (ACL).

References

{{Gridiron football penalties Gridiron football penalties