Quote:
Originally posted by rdodom
No! The ball is not dead until it touches something that is out of bounds, not when it crosses the sideline! A player is out of bounds and the play is dead when he lands out of bounds. A player may touch a player out of bounds and still be inbounds!
The point I'm making is that it really has nothing with it being out of bounds. What makes any live ball dead?
1: When a runner is tackled and his forward progress has been stopped or is tackled so that anything, other than his hand or foot, touches the ground, the play is over and the ball is dead. We blow the whistle to signal the ball is dead and the play is over (hopefully).
2: When a runner is tackled towards the sideline, the play is over and the ball is dead when the player with the ball hits the ground out of bounds.
Either way, the ball is dead and the play is over when the runner is stopped or hits the gound in both cases. Just like when a runner's knee hits the ground, the play is over and the ball is dead.
In no. 1, if the runner is tackled and slammed to the ground, a personal foul can be called on the tackler. If this is true, why can't the same call be made on a tackle that lands out of bounds, since the play isn't over until the runner hits the ground. The action of the tackler during the tackle is what makes it a personal foul. The tackler di nothing to the runner after he hit the ground, only during the actual tackle!
[Edited by rdodom on Oct 1st, 2001 at 02:05 PM]
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What an interesting discussion to which there are some points for debate.
What makes any live ball dead? The ball is not in play NF 2-2-1.
The inside of the plane that defines the area in football determines in or out-of-bounds unlike basketball where you must establish position. On a touchdown, the play is dead when any point of the ball crosses the goal plane.
So, once the player crosses the sideline the play is dead and action on the runner is no longer legal.
But to the Coach's scenario, he used the term "slammed" which I understood to mean action over and above what is necessary. But, point of fact, any action on the runner is unnecessary once he crosses the line.
Personally, my flag gets dirty anytime a defender performs any action against a runner out-of-bounds because the runner may actually relax under the belief he cannot be hit.
As to the point that a play is not over until the runner hits the ground. Apply Fundamental 14. "An official's whistle seldom kills the ball. It is already dead."
The interpretation of seldom covers two things:
1. Inadvertant whistle
2. Play is blown dead as in the runners progress is stopped.
I am sure you have seen plays where the runner gets stopped and it is apparent the play is over. The whistle kills the play.