[mplagrow]

When a ball carrier is on the ground but not touched in the NFL, can a defender flat out deck him? I recall seeing a game where unnecessary roughness was called for this, because the defender just had to touch him. This caused some discussion at the time, because technically the player was still live (and not wearing a dress). Is there a rule about that?

Does it matter if the ball carrier just fell down or if he gives himself up and goes to the ground on purpose?