The officiating crews are listed “East” and “West.” There are 10 Eastern crews and seven Western crews. These crews are made up of officials primarily from the Eastern and Western parts of the United States. The crews, however, are sent all over the country to officiate and not just in the Eastern and Western zones of the county. A number of years ago, the crews were mostly kept in their zones, but that policy has changed, and it is not uncommon to see a Western crew working in New England on any given Sunday, and in New York the following week.
Can a team advance the ball on a field goal that falls short? –Dale LeSage, Dearborn, Mich.
A field goal attempt is treated the same as a punt with regard to returns, except with a few special rules. If an unsuccessful field goal is touched in the field of play by a receiver and advanced, that team gets the ball wherever the run ends. If the field goal attempt is untouched in the field of play by a receiver and the ball is blown dead, the receivers put the ball in play at the spot where the field goal was attempted, unless that spot was inside the 20-yard line and then the ball will be put on the 20.
This may seem obvious, but how is it determined whether an onside kick has been attempted? If a regular kickoff goes out of bounds, the ball is awarded to the receiving team at the 40; if an onside kick goes out of bounds, the kicking team is moved back five yards and allowed to re-kick. If a kicker were to badly shank a kick out-of-bounds, couldn’t the team claim that they were attempting an onside kick and get a second attempt? — Bob Kelsey, Oak Brook
Here’s the rule: If a free kick that doesn’t travel 20 yards goes out-of-bounds, the first time an onside kick is attempted, the kicking team is to be penalized five yards and must re-kick, except inside the last five minutes of the second half, when there will not be a free kick. While the receiving team may not waive the kicking team’s obligation to rekick, it is not deprived of a choice of distance penalties in case of a multiple foul. For a second consecutive onside kick out-of-bounds, or for any onside kick out-of-bounds inside the last five minutes of the second half, the receiving team takes possession of the ball at the out-of-bounds spot.
I’ve grown tired of announcers saying that players need to dive into the end zone within the pylons, as well as players unnecessarily positioning the ball inside the pylon as they dive for the end zone. As I understand it, because the goal line stretches indefinitely outside the field of play, the pylon is essentially meaningless for judging a touchdown. Can you clarify this rule for me? And if the pylons serve no purpose, why are they there? — Dan K., Boston
You are correct. The goal line stretches around the world outside at the field of play. The pylon’s purpose is to signify that the ball or player is out-of-bounds in the end zone. If a player going in for a score hits the pylon with the ball extended over the plane of the goal line, he is out-of-bounds in the end zone, and a touchdown is awarded. But if a player is coming out of his own end zone and he hits the pylon with the ball in his possession, he is out-of-bounds in his end zone and a safety is awarded to the defensive team. So in that sense, the pylons are very important.
Could a team challenge a call that was originally to their advantage? For example, say a team is out of field goal range, it’s third and long, and they attempt a deep pass. The pass is ruled incomplete, but it appears that the ball is intercepted on the 1-yard line and is reviewable. Knowing that a punt will most likely not have as good a result, can the offense challenge that its pass was actually intercepted and its opponent should have the ball on its own 1-yard line? Thanks. Great column! — John Nowak, Park Ridge
Yes, any play can be challenged as long as it falls under the parameters of replay. In this case, the interception, rather than the incompletion, would greatly benefit the passing team. It would be a smart move on the part of the offensive coach. This has been done in recent weeks.
I know that only 45 players on the 53-man roster are active on game day. I believe a team can dress a 46th player if it is a third QB. What are the circumstances regarding when that QB can play and how does that affect the other two QBs? — Dave Kirchner, Keosauqua, Iowa
The 46th player must be the third quarterback. If he enters the game in the first, second or third quarter, the first two quarterbacks may not enter the game. If he enters in the fourth quarter, either of the first two quarterbacks may come back in. The designated third quarterback may only be the quarterback, kicker, holder or punter. He may not play any other position, regardless of his number and he may not be on the field at the same time as either of the first two quarterbacks at any time during the game. If a team has three active quarterbacks as part of its 45-man roster, they are not allowed a 46th player. Overtime is treated the same as if it were the fourth quarter.
Your response to the question about return yardage on a penalty play is incorrect. According to the NFL guide for statisticians, return yards are credited to the point of the infraction. So, in your example of a 75-yard touchdown return with a penalty at the opposing 10-yard line returning the ball to the 25, the return yardage credited is 65, not 50. –Dave Ahlman, Des Plaines.
I stand corrected. You are absolutely right that the yardage is credited to the point of infraction. I try to be as accurate as possible in writing this column, but, unfortunately, I did not succeed in this instance. I will try harder in the future when questions other than rules are presented. Thanks for being so alert.
