Sure. Here are the major NFL rule changes for the 2005 season:
team during a scrimmage kick play will either be penalized from the previous line of scrimmage or from the end of the return of the kick.
Jerry, Is there still a crowd noise rule in the NFL, or did they do away with the delay of game penalties imposed on the crowd if the quarterback could not call the play? They used to penalize the home team. Is that rule still in effect? — Keith Totzke, Port Orchard, Wash.
Yes. Obvious inability of the offense to hear team signals because of crowd noise is handled under NFL rules by the following procedure: If the quarterback indicates to the referee that he cannot hear the signals, and the referee agrees, the referee will stop the clock and extend his arm fully over his head. The referee will announce over the wireless microphone that he has asked the defensive team to assist in quieting the crowd. If the crowd noise continues, the referee will again raise his arm and announce that any further crowd noise that is disruptive will result in the forfeiture by the defense of one of its remaining time outs. In the absence of any time outs remaining, a five-yard penalty against the defense will be assessed. Thereafter, if crowd noise reoccurs, the referee will stop the clock and assess the above loss of time out or five-yard penalty.
Can a player, unable to run out-of-bounds, lateral the ball out-of-bounds to stop the clock? — Butch Brzeski, Chicago
If the backward pass is thrown out-of-bounds during the last minute of play during the second or fourth quarter in order to stop the clock, a five-yard penalty for delay of game and a 10-second runoff is assessed. If this act occurs at any other time during the game, no penalty is called and the clock is started when the ball is made ready for play by the referee.
Can the ball be punted beyond the line of scrimmage? Example: The punter tries to run for the first down, but decides to punt after crossing the line of scrimmage. — Craig Siwy, Wauwatosa, Wis.
The kicking team behind its line of scrimmage may punt, drop kick, or place kick the ball. For any of these kicks made from beyond the line of scrimmage, a 10-yard penalty is assessed from the spot of the kick, or, the receiving team may decline the penalty and take the result of the play.
I wonder if a player can gain an advantage by committing a penalty. Let’s say a team is trying for a two-point conversion. The defender is clearly in position to intercept or knock away a pass in the corner of the end zone. The receiver throws the defender out of the way, clearly and intentionally committing offensive pass interference, then catches the ball for the two-point conversion. Am I correct that the defense’s choices are to accept the penalty for 10 yards and give the offense another try at a conversion or to decline the penalty and have the two-point conversion be good. Or is there some rule in a case like this that would make the conversion automatically not good? — Neil Lupton, Boston
You are correct. The defender’s choice is to accept the penalty
for the offensive pass interference or decline, which, of course, would give the offense two points. The only time that intentional fouls carry additional penalties is when they, the fouls, prevent the offensive team from snapping the ball when they are in scoring position. An example would be continued encroachment fouls.
At the end of the OSU-Texas game on fourth down, the Texas runner tried to run the ball into the end zone to ice the game. He was not given the touchdown and the announcers questioned whether the ball was outside the pylon. Does the goal line extend “all the way around the world” in the pro game only? If the ball is outside the pylon but the runner has not yet touched the out-of-bounds area, is it not a touchdown? — Peter Vedder, Wausau, Wisc.
Yes, the goal line extended does go “all the way around the world” in all organized football leagues: grade school, high school, college and professional. If the runner touches the pylon with his body, or dives over it, the ball may be over the side line and a touchdown will be awarded because the goal line extends beyond the side line.
