Quote:
Originally Posted by Warrenkicker
If the ball leaves a players hands voluntarily then it is a either a pass or a hand-off
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That may be the spirit of the rule, but last I looked at all the major USAn codes that's not quite true. "Pass" was defined in terms of throwing (except in NFL, where a hand-off is a type of pass), and handing the ball is pretty self explanatory. The punt & drop kick are also defined in a way that they begin with the player's (apparently voluntarily) releasing the ball from hand or hands, and if kicking the ball is somehow prevented after a player releases the ball with that intention, it's a fumble. And there's also the possibility that a player in possession may voluntarily release the ball in some other way that doesn't satisfy the definitions of "pass" or "handing", which would make it a fumble by the way "fumble" is defined (i.e. by exclusion). For instance, a player might leave the ball on the ground for a teammate to pick up, in the manner of a "leave pass" in soccer or hockey, but that's not a "pass" by the rule book meaning in football.
I guess you could also say a place kick causes the ball to "leave a player's hand voluntarily" in the sense that he allows a teammate to kick it.
I think the game would be better served if "fumble" were defined as an involuntary loss of possession and the voluntary means of transferring possession were defined as such, which would make the intentional fumble impossible, but as it stands right now an intentional fumble is possible.
Robert