Quote:
Originally posted by RickW
You must certainly be talking about the Federation rule, which apparently doesn't allow the receiving team to advance the ball out of the end zone. I can't speak to the reasoning behind that rule, other than it does prevent some tricky goal line scenarios and prevents the possiblity of a safety on a free kick, which could actually be the reason for it (why have the possiblity of a safety when the receiving team is supposed to be getting the ball back).
|
Hertz? Not exactly! (The Devil is in the details.)
The rule does not prevent R from advancing the ball out of the end zone, nor does it prevent the possibility of a safety during a free kick play. The Federation rule only makes any
kick other than a successful scoring attempt dead when it breaks the plane of R's goal line.
If R catches or recovers a scrimmage or free kick on the field of play and then carries the ball into the end zone, it is no longer a kick and the ball remains live. R
must advance the ball out of the end zone or it
will be a safety when it becomes dead there in R's possession, unless the momentum rule applies. It could also turn into a touchdown for K if they recover a fumble in R's end zone.
If the covering official blows the ball dead believing it cannot be advanced, he has committed an inadvertent whistle. Since the Referee is usually covering the goal line, he should know better.