Quote:
Originally Posted by JRutledge
All I would ask is what is the NFL rule? All that you stated might not be the only reason it is a foul at the NFL level. So without a reference to that, I have no idea. But also you cannot have a snap that planned fumble of some kind at the other levels. So maybe that is the philosophy of the NFL that is different than other levels.
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It obviously wasn't a planned play, which in NCAA and Fed rules wouldn't kill the ball anyway, but be flagged live. But I'm pretty sure the NFL never legislated against that anyway.
NFL requirements for snapping the ball are the same as the other American codes. For a long time the NFL kept an old rule that forbade extension of hands by a back in position to receive the snap before the snap unless he went on to receive the snap -- which the NFL interpreted as a false start unless that player at least touched the snap. However, NFL got rid of that provision several years ago after it killed the play when the Dolphins snapped the ball accidentally past the QB, who had his hands under center but didn't get a touch on it. This clip is more recent than that rule change.
Somebody commenting on YouTube is telling me he sees a hesitation in the movement of the ball during that snap. They have an excellent slo-mo end zone view that looks like the motion was perfectly continuous. The snapper's hand can be seen briefly remaining in the vicinity
after he loses the ball, but body English is not really going to affect the motion of the ball. I could see a problem if the ball had stayed on his hand for an extra bit, but it didn't seem to. The ball still had enough backward momentum after it hit his butt that it landed more than a yard behind it, which is additional evidence that it was still moving backward when it left his hand.
The only major codes that differ on the requirements for a legal snap are the Canadian ones, where the snap must go between the legs in a toes-to-heels direction, but the ball need not leave the snapper's possession immediately at the end of the motion.