Quote:
|
Originally Posted by dvasques
what happened until last season was if a QB under center didn't touch a snap and the ball passed right between the QBs legs without touching anyone, that was ruled a false start.
|
Ah, I get it...because the snap was "incomplete" according to their rules, by failing to touch a player in the backfield (or quarterback legally positioned) before touching the ground. One of the NFL's retroactive dead balls, such that if the clock was to start on the snap, it does, and so time can run off even though the ball is retroactively ruled dead. Not a lot of time in most cases, but if it was a high, "adrenaline" snap it could be a few secs. before it touched the ground.
Scott Taylor took a long time persuading us in rec.sport.officiating that the same sort of retroactive dead ball occurs in NFL rules on a field goal after the ball went thru the goal but before it touched anything beyond.
Hey, wait a minute! How long did NFL have this? I can surely recall many times in punt formation where the ball had to be fielded on a hop. Decades ago I remember the Bears'
rolling a snap to their blocking back.
But if it was some kind of "error" rule like the ball's passing an infielder, surely
that couldn't've been long in effect either, because in 1974 (at least) the Vikings used to snap between Tarkenton's legs to the punter in their short punt formation.
Quote:
|
It will now be ruled a fumble
|
But can any player of A be first to touch & advance it legally? Or is it a live ball foul if someone other than a backfield player touches it 1st?
Robert