Quote:
Originally posted by kdf5
Quote:
Originally posted by largeone59
Play: Running back gains 5 yards on a play and tries to lateral back to his partner. The RB gets hit, and the "lateral" ends up being forward. The ball hits the ground once, then is scooped up by the defense and returned for a score.
Is this illegal forward pass considered a fumble or should this play be blown dead?
What would the defense's options be on this play?
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Officials Manual, last page, Guides for When in question:
Incomplete pass or fumble = incomplete pass
Forward or backward = forward.
Sounds like a good one to blow dead with flag in pocket.
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The problem I have with that reasoning is that that particular guideline was almost certainly written with a "normal" behind-the-LOS pass in mind.
If I thought the runner, beyond the LOS, was attempting a backward pass, then no hit by the defense is going to turn that into a forward pass. Like Ed, I've got a fumble and a defensive TD.