Quote:
Originally Posted by Welpe
I imagine the primary reason is that in ajmc's case, a 20 yard foul is more punitive than is desired. That's essentially a drive killer, especially if it's not on first down. Having done games under both, I'm inclined to agree. I think going previous spot for those types of fouls is a better balance between offense and defense.
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Agree with this and Rich's point. Furthermore with fewer automatic first down penalties, there is significantly less chance of making a first down after committing a penalty that occurs 5-10 or more yards behind the LOS.
The argument that a defensive player that has pushed 10 yards into the backfield deserves credit for that progress if he then gets held is countered by the fact that there is no certainty that being 10 yards in the backfield would have resulted in a tackle being made.
If anything, enforcing these types of penalties from the PS eliminates doubt on throwing the flag for marginal/close calls. Under the current enforcement, personally, I'm going to look at a close/marginal play that could be holding and ask myself how much impact is the action in question has on the play. If the action is away from the play, I'll pass because the result is a 16-17 yard penalty in a situation where no significant advantage was gained. If the action occurs in a situation in which the defender had a chance to make a play, then I'll flag it. Please note, I'm referring to close/marginal situations. If the enforcement occurs from the PS, I'm still going to take all things into consideration except for the enforcement of the penalty. If I know the penalty is 10 yards from the PS, I'm not even considering the enforcement in making the decision to throw the flag.
Lastly, I think many times holding start at or near the LOS but don't become evident until the action is 2-3 or more yards in the backfield. It doesn't seem right to penalize the act that started at or near the LOS from a point farther back. If a hold occurs at the LOS and the offensive player drags the defender 6 yards upfield, we don't penalize it from that point. I realize these points don't make for the most solid arguments, but I fell like there are far more reasons to enforce from the PS than the spot of the foul.