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Originally Posted by Theisey
Think about it Suudy.. where is the ball when the player takes the knee? If you can't visualize it, hold on to a book and take a knee. I'd say that 99% of the time it's tucked in against his chest and armpit.. directly over the knee he just put to the turf in the EZ.
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My point is that the catch must be complete outside of the EZ. Before the catch is complete, it is still a kick, thus a TB as soon as the ball breaks the plane (in Fed at least). If the catch is completed with the ball completely out of the EZ, the runner would then have to pull the ball back into the EZ when taking a knee for a safety.
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Originally Posted by Theisey
I've seen this on free kicks at least a half dozen times over the past 24 years. You hold the whistle because you know the ball has not broken the plain of the goal line (using todays rules) and then as what seems like an eternity in time, the panicky player goes down on his knee.
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I hear what you are saying. By the book, it is a safety. Now, if the player catches the ball outside the EZ with his body in the EZ, and I didn't blow the whistle.... If a considerable period (more than a few heartbeats) went by before the player took a knee, I think you could have a sell for a safety.
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Originally Posted by Theisey
Good grief you say, what the heck to I have now? Tough call, tough sell. One side or the other is not going to like your ruling.
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I'd hope there were no coaches on the GL to see exactly where the ball was. And if the catch was that close to the GL, such that the catch occurred outside the EZ, but the player's knees were in the EZ, I would be comfortable calling it a TB as soon as the ball broke the plane.