Jerry - you make some very good points. I always wondered if the possession aspect of the rule was put in just because the NF thought the majority of officials would find it too hard to also remember what the possession situation was at the time of the whistle. Of course, we have to do this when we have an inadvertant whistle during a scramble.
I have always been of the opinion that the rules committee doesn't give us enough credit for being able to administer the rules properly and sometimes make rules from the standpoint of having this lack of confidence in us.
As an example, I was told in two camps that the jump ball rule was changed to AP primarily because the NF didn't think we did a good job of tossing the ball, not because they thought the rule was more equitible this way.
Frankly, I like the NBA jump ball rule. Start the game with a jump, then that team gets the ball to start the 4th, the other team gets the ball to start the 2nd and 3rd, with all overtimes and tie-ups being a real jump. I think if two opposing players have dual possession, those two should decide who gets the ball - not taking turns like in kindergarten.
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