In your play, the punt receiver gave a fair catch signal, which
entitles him, under the rule, to a free path to the ball, even if it bounces off of him. The ball was awarded to the receivers after a 15-yard penalty. If the receiver had not signaled for a fair catch, the ball would have been awarded to the kicking team described in your play, and no penalty would have been assessed.
I’ve seen you write that a quarterback in the T-Formation cannot go into motion, but a QB in other formations, shotgun, for instance, can. What is the difference between a T-Formation and other formations that makes this against the rules? –Jon Steckelberg, Chicago
To become an eligible pass receiver and have the ability to go legally in motion, a T-formation quarterback must assume the position of a backfield player as in a Shotgun, Single Wing, or Double Wing Formation and be at least one yard behind the line of scrimmage at the snap. If the quarterback goes in motion from the T, he will be penalized for illegal motion and he will also not be eligible to catch a forward pass.
I’m not certain of a football’s precise length, so let’s say the football is 12 inches long. Fourth-and-goal for Team A with the nose of the ball resting one inch outside of Team B’s 5-yard line. The pass attempt into the end zone is incomplete, resulting in first and 10 for Team B. Where do the chains reset after the change of possession? Should the officials put the ball in its exact previous spot (preserving the neutral zone of the previous spot) so that the furthest point for B is 13 inches beyond the 5-yard line, which would make their line to gain 13 inches beyond the 15-yard line? Or should they spot the ball so its furthest point is one inch beyond the 5-yard line, which would create a new neutral zone and establish B’s line to gain one inch beyond the 15-yard line? If the second option is correct, then how would this situation be handled near the goal line? Would part of the football (and the neutral zone) extend into the end zone? – Marcel, Chicago
First, let’s discuss the football. The ball must be a Wilson,
hand-selected bearing the signature of the commissioner of the National Football League. The long axis of the ball must be from 11 to 11-1/4 inches. The neutral zone is the length of the football.
If a fourth down forward pass from 1-inch outside of the
defense’s 5-yard line is incomplete, the chains will be reset for first down for the defensive team and the foremost point of the ball will be placed 1-inch inside the 5-yard line. If a running play on fourth down fails to make a first down, the ball is left where it lays and the chains are set from that point. If the ball is snapped on a pass play from the 5-inch line going in for a score and an incomplete pass turns the ball over to the defense, the ball will be placed so that it is entirely out of the end zone. The ball can never be snapped to start a series with any part of it touching either goal line.
I accept that the “tuck rule” exists. In applying it, do officials have to take into account the consequences of the incomplete pass? For instance, if the ball goes laterally or backwards, wouldn’t an incomplete pass be a fumble? If the QB is in the pocket, isn’t it intentional grounding in most cases? The fumble in the Washington-Denver game was overturned. The pass went backwards and, incomplete or not, would have remained a fumble. Was this a case where they were just wrong, or is there yet another technicality behind the infamous rule? – Mitch, Seattle
When making the very difficult “Is it a pass or a fumble” ruling,
the officials never think about the consequences of the ruling. They see the play and they make the ruling. If the quarterback is in the pocket, intentional grounding will only be called when the quarterback throws the ball into an area that does not have an eligible receiver with a chance to catch the pass. In the play that you refer to, the NFL rule book states, “It is a forward pass if the ball initially moves forward to a point nearer the opponent’s goal line after leaving the passer’s hand.” The ball may wind up going backwards, but if the initial direction is forward it is ruled a pass and not a fumble. The ruling in the Washington-Denver game was correct.
I have a question about an illegal touch and the clock. I remember seeing a team down a punt after time expired in regulation. The officials ruled that the illegal touch resulted in an un-timed down for the receiving team. Is this rule still around? Your answer will settle a bet. — Brian Orndorff,
Woodstock, Va.
Let me first state that if at the end of any period, time expires
while the ball is in play, time is not called until the down ends. If the offensive team, or kicking team, illegally touches a kick, as you state in your play, they are entitled to an extension of the period for a down free of foul. As far as I know, this has been in the rulebook since the rules were originally written.
How does one become a NFL referee? — Dallas Hill, Pueblo, Col.
I suggest contacting your state high school association so that you can become registered as a football official. They will send you all of the necessary rule books and let you know where local meetings are held during the season. These meetings will teach you how to dress and how to approach the task of becoming a football official. Generally, local associations will assign low-level games for the beginning officials. The next step is
working high school, freshmen, sophomore and varsity games. From there, if you are successful, a small college conference will give you an opportunity to work in a major college conference. If all of these steps are successful and you love what you are doing, you can apply to the National Football League. This process took me 20 years to arrive as an NFL official.
When was the last time the home team was penalized for the crowd noise? –Jon, Melbourne, Fla.
The crowd noise rule was put in the rule book in 1989, and to my
knowledge, no team has been penalized for crowd noise since the 1990 season. However, don’t quote me on this.
On the penultimate play of the final USC drive, the quarterback was hit by a Notre Dame player in bounds and fumbled out of bounds. Should the clock have continued to run? Would it make a difference under NFL rules? — John Davis, Fairfax, Va.
Under NCAA rules, the clock should have been stopped and was stopped correctly because the ball was fumbled out of bounds. Under NFL rules, a forward fumble out of bounds is returned to the spot of the fumble and the clock will start on the ready-for-play. Under NCAA rules, the clock correctly started on the snap. If the fumble, under NFL rules, is backwards and out of bounds, the clock would start on the snap.
When a ball carrier is hit and the ball is fumbled backward out of bounds, is the ball placed at the point of going out of bounds or where the ball carrier’s forward motion is stopped? Is the rule the same in college and the NFL? In the ND-USC game, the ball seemed to go out of bounds at about the 2-yard line but they placed it inside the 1 where contact was made. I seem to recall the opposite ruling in NFL games. — Phil Koza, Budd Lake,
N.J.
If the ball is fumbled backwards and out-of-bounds under both
college and pro rules, it is placed at the inbounds spot where the ball went out-of-bounds. Under NFL rules, if a ball is fumbled forward and out-of-bounds, it is returned to the spot of the fumble.
