Are there any circumstances in which a lineman–tackle or guard–can carry the football?
Answer By rule a lineman may carry the ball, but a few restrictions must be met. At the snap of the ball and before engaging a defensive player with a block, the lineman must turn and completely face his own goal line. At that point he becomes eligible to receive a handoff. While it seems like a strange rule, the intent is to prevent the offense from running quick misdirection handoffs to ineligible receivers (lineman) by giving the defense a chance to see what is going on. I hope this answers your question.
