[JasonTX]

Originally Posted by Trap

Ok, hypothetically.

You have an option offense, the qb runs around the end 10 yards past line of scrimmage, is going to get tackled, pitches the ball to the running back, who is now 1 yard ahead of him. Not expecting the ball, doesn't catch it, ball is recovered by defense.

So now you have to tell the coach that it is not a fumble, but an incomplete pass. I'm not arguing the rule, just that it defys logic and penalizes the defense. These are the types of rules, that enforced correctly, make officials look bad.

Just for the record here, a ball that is loose from a backwards pass/pitch is not a fumble. It's simply a backwards pass. How is the defense being penalized? They can't recover a dead ball. Suppose all this took place behind the line of scrimmage. Do you think the defense should be allowed to gain possession of an incomplete pass? Everything regarding passes is consistant whether it is behind or beyond the line of scrimmage. The only thing that changes is the legality of such passes. If a forward pass (legal or illegal) hits the ground it is an incomplete pass. I don't really care what I have to tell the coach. Coaches don't like half of what we tell them anyway so we can just add this one to the list.