Quote:
Originally posted by timharris
...when on a fourth down play a defensive player ran into the kicker unintentionally and barely touching him during the kick, immediately i threw my flag
|
I don't want to criticize you because I didn't see the play but based on your description I don't think you even had a foul. Too many coaches think that touching the kicker is a foul.
9-4-4 Running into or roughing the kicker or holder. A defensive player shall neither run into the kicker nor holder, which is contact that displaces the kicker or holder without roughing; nor block, tackle or charge into the kicker of a scrimmage kick, or the place-kick holder, other than when:
a. Contact is unavoidable because it is not reasonably certain that a kick will be made.
b. The defense touches the kick near the kicker and contact is unavoidable.
c. Contact is slight and is partially caused by movement of the kicker.
d. Contact is caused by R being blocked into the kicker or holder by K.
The key words I see in this are DISPLACES and SLIGHT. If you had displacement then flag it. I had contact a couple of weeks ago but the punter spun himself away from it like he was avoiding it (he should know better). Then they wanted a flag. The "look" of contact was because of the punter's movement and not the defender.
Running into isn't 1st down. Only all the roughings and DPI.