Five Yard Penalties:
Defensive holding or illegal use of hands: No defensive football player is allowed to hold or push an offensive receiver or back on a passing play past the initial five yard chuck-zone. The first five yards past the line of scrimmage, the defense may jam, hold up, the receiver to keep them from getting by, but after that a penalty is awarded to the offense. Special Notes: Automatic first down awarded to offense.
Delay of game: This penalty can be called on either offense or defense, but the foul is most commonly committed by the offense. The penalty occurs on offense when they allow the play clock to run down to zero without snapping the ball. The penalty can be called on the defense if the referees feel that the defense did not allow the offense to get the play off in time for any reason. A similar foul is delay on kickoff.
Encroachment: When the defense comes across the line of scrimmage and actually touches an offensive football player before the snap, encroachment is called.
Excessive time outs: A team can not call more than three time outs a half. If this occurs, a five yard penalty is assessed on the offense and the clock is restarted.
Facemask: Similar to the above, if the facemask is deemed to be unintentional and non-flagrant by the referees, then only a five yard penalty is assessed.
False Start: A false start occurs when an offensive football player moves before the ball is snapped. This penalty is not called if a player is in motion, but that player must either be moving parallel to the line of scrimmage ( a receiver in motion ) or set before the snap to not be in violation. Motion is a common tool used by coaches to try to free up a receiver, or confuse a defense and is simply a player changing their position on the field before the snap. Only receivers, running backs, and the quarterback may be in motion.
Forward pass: Thrown from beyond the line of scrimmage. A football player can not throw the ball forward once passed the line of scrimmage, break behind the line, and then throw the ball forward.
Illegal return: A player that signals a fair catch may not try to return the ball.
Illegal formation: The offense must have seven players on the line of scrimmage or they are guilty of illegal formation.
Illegal shift: A football player can not make a motion as if they play were live if they are simply changing their position. Once a player shifts his position he must not make a movement for at least a second before the ball is snapped. More than one player may be shifting at once as long as all get set.
Illegal motion: Similar to illegal shift except the football player does not come to a stop. Also, only one player is allowed in motion and the motion must be parallel to the line of scrimmage.
Illegal substitution: A player may only enter the field of play while the ball is dead. They must also only leave crossing their own sideline. Substitutes entering the game must enter the field passed the numerals. Finally, except for the last two minutes of the half, the offense must not rush to the line and hurry up a snap if they are substituting.
Invalid fair catch signal: The football player receiving a kick must make a noticeable wave of his hand above his head for it to be a legal fair catch signal.
Illegal return: A player that signals a fair catch may not try to return the ball.
Too many men on the field: Each football team may only have eleven men on the field while the play is live.
Offside: Each team must be lined up on their line of scrimmage and can not be lined up in the neutral zone when the ball is snapped. The neutral zone is the area between the front and back of the ball.
Pass touched by a receiver after being out of bounds: Once a football player goes out of bounds he is not allowed to touch the ball on that play.
Player out of bounds at snap: All eligible players must be on the field of play at the snap of the ball.
Running into the kicker: If a player hits the kicker and does not touch the ball, but the hit is not flagrant, only the five yard penalty is called.
Second forward pass behind the line: A football player may not make more than one forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage.
