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514 Questions

Last Answer on January 23, 2021

A QB fumbles on a pitch to a rb on the 30yd line in an attempt to march down the field for a 70yd drive, the obvious chaos to recover the ball by D & O occurs; can a D player hit or kick the ball while trying to pick it up, causing the ball to roll towards the endzone, then recover it for a defensive touchdown??? Does this fall under the illegal batted ball rule?? (Ex: while he's trying to pick it up he kind of hits it forward, then hits it forward again, then picks it up in the endzone. Is this a legit td for the D or an illegally batted ball?) the ball started at the 30yd line, went back 5yds on the bad pitch, then was hit backwards nearly 25yds by the defense while attempting to pick up & advance the football.

Asked by Royal Chiou almost 9 years ago

You cannot bat a ball forward. If the defense batted it towards the endzone they're facing, that's forward and illegal. There is a certain amount of reading intent. "he kind of hits it forward, then hits it forward again, then picks it up in the endzone." If a player tried and failed to pick it up twice and - golly gee - it happened to go towards the endzone, I think we have an issue. Ain't happening.

769 Votes

Why doesn't the Miami/Bulls game have any pink ribbon on field or on themselves?

Asked by Ka over 9 years ago

That is,a league/ team issue, not officiating.

766 Votes

Team A punts from the 50, at the B-1 yard line player A-33 stops the ball and half his body slides across B's goal line. B's ball on B-1 or Touchback.

Asked by Compujok over 9 years ago

Depends on what game you're watching. As i understand it, in the NFL your scenario is a touchback. In college, if the ball is touched at the B1 and it stays there, it's at the one. If the ball is touched at the 1 and goes into the end zone, touchback.

766 Votes

When is a punter no longer protected. If an Australian style punter runs outside the hash marks before kicking the ball, can he be hit even if he punts.

Asked by kevin over 9 years ago

Very good question. When he runs, he is a runner and can be hit - legally- like any other ball carrier. But if he stops to kick, he's a kicker and is subject to those protections. The referee (white hat) has responsibility for the kicker. He has to make the judgement of when the punter stops being a runner and becomes a kicker.

765 Votes

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So if a kickoff is kept in bounds but the player who received it is our of bound when touched is that a penalty on the kick off team??

Asked by Dylan over 9 years ago

Indeed it is. If the ball touches out of bounds - or anything or anybody who is out of bounds- it is out of bounds. I've actually recently heard of a coach who teaches his receivers to straddle the line (one for out) and catch the ball; that's a kick out of bounds and a foul on the kicking team..

764 Votes

In nfl when a team punts the ball and time runs out while the ball is in the air what options do the receiving team have. Rule section.

Asked by Mikary52nh over 9 years ago

As far as i understand, it's the same as any other play when time runs out. You continue play until the whistle. The ball is alive and in play until the play ends.

763 Votes

To what extent is a tackler responsible for knowing whether the ballcarrier is in-bounds or OB? Assume late whistles:
A: Ballcarrier steps on sideline and is immediately tackled.
B: Ballcarrier is two steps OB and is tackled.
C. All cases in-between

Asked by Bridgbum over 9 years ago

That's a good question. Simply put, the tackler is responsible - period. And don't assume any whistle; as is often said, the play kills itself, not the whistle. For example, if a player is down and there's no immediate whistle, and the player gets hit, it's a foul, whistle or not.

Back to out of bounds: in your example A, you can envision the tackler right there as the runner hits OOB. You probably don't flag that because it's happening so quickly at the sideline. In B, you have a foul; that's pretty obvious. Cases in between? There really isn't an in-between. If the runner steps out, he's out and can't be hit. If the contact begins while the runner is in bounds, then it's not a foul unless there is unnecessary continuing contact out of bounds.

762 Votes

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Why doesn't the Miami/Bulls game have any pink ribbon on field or on themselves?

Team A punts from the 50, at the B-1 yard line player A-33 stops the ball and half his body slides across B's goal line. B's ball on B-1 or Touchback.

When is a punter no longer protected. If an Australian style punter runs outside the hash marks before kicking the ball, can he be hit even if he punts.

Also on Jobstr...

So if a kickoff is kept in bounds but the player who received it is our of bound when touched is that a penalty on the kick off team??

In nfl when a team punts the ball and time runs out while the ball is in the air what options do the receiving team have. Rule section.

To what extent is a tackler responsible for knowing whether the ballcarrier is in-bounds or OB? Assume late whistles:
A: Ballcarrier steps on sideline and is immediately tackled.
B: Ballcarrier is two steps OB and is tackled.
C. All cases in-between

Football Official

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Why doesn't the Miami/Bulls game have any pink ribbon on field or on themselves?

Team A punts from the 50, at the B-1 yard line player A-33 stops the ball and half his body slides across B's goal line. B's ball on B-1 or Touchback.

When is a punter no longer protected. If an Australian style punter runs outside the hash marks before kicking the ball, can he be hit even if he punts.

Also on Jobstr...

So if a kickoff is kept in bounds but the player who received it is our of bound when touched is that a penalty on the kick off team??

In nfl when a team punts the ball and time runs out while the ball is in the air what options do the receiving team have. Rule section.

To what extent is a tackler responsible for knowing whether the ballcarrier is in-bounds or OB? Assume late whistles:A: Ballcarrier steps on sideline and is immediately tackled.B: Ballcarrier is two steps OB and is tackled.C. All cases in-between

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To what extent is a tackler responsible for knowing whether the ballcarrier is in-bounds or OB? Assume late whistles:
A: Ballcarrier steps on sideline and is immediately tackled.
B: Ballcarrier is two steps OB and is tackled.
C. All cases in-between