REPLY: kentref...here's my take on your questions:
- Yes, if the contact is unnecessarily rough, you have a personal foul. Just remember that there's no automatic first down like there would have been if roughing the kicker had been the call.
- I would not change the way I judged contact by B simply because he was trying to kick the ball.
In order for me to call it a personal foul, it had better be illegal personal contact. Just because it's a violent hit doesn't make it patently illegal. Since the punter still had possession of the ball, he's fair game and we shouldn't be getting into the trap of 'legislating' how hard he can be hit--as long as the hit is legal.
I cringe when I read posts that say things like, "since the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage, the contact with the receiver can't be DPI, but it can be a personal foul." It makes me think that some guys are just going to make the PF call since the rules prohibit them from making the DPI call. I hope I'm wrong. If you're going to call a personal foul, make sure it's really a personal foul, not just a 'make-up' for some other call you're prevented from making by the rules.