I just read tpaul's "Game Play" thread. We actually had a coach during a time out tell his kids to purposely bat the ball! It happened late in the game where team B (down by 11) hoping to get a TD and get an onside kick. Team A was in a punting situation deep in their own territory. Team B calls time out.

I was walking past B's huddle and heard to coach saying "go after the ball...but DON'T pick it up...just keep batting it until it goes into the end zone THEN pick it up."

Perhaps I overstepped my bounds by eavesdropping and putting in my .02 but I did just that. I said "coach, if they do that I'll be flagging an illegal bat." He didn't want to believe me that the act was illegal. Then then went on to say "at least I'm trying...with a little chuckle."

The stupid part was if he really knew it was illegal and playing dumb why the heck would he coach them to do it.

It's like duh I won't see it????

Confused
 

I don't get what he wanted them to do? Did he want them to block the punt and then bat it instead of pick it up and run it in for a TD? Did he not know he could legally pick it up and run it in? What was he looking for in the play you described?

Coaches usually tell players to simply fall on the ball because so many try to run with it before they actually have it. It would have been their ball any way unless K picked up the ball after a block and advanced beyond the LTG.

It was about :45 remaining and he wanted a TD on the play and I guess he wasn't confident a player could possess it and return it. He would have had to go on offense to get a score, then get an onside kick, then go on offense for a 2nd time to tie the game with a FG. Who really knows what the heck he was thinking? He just said keep batting the ball instead of trying to fall on it, then fall on it in the endzone.

Had a try for 2 points last Friday, A fumbles at the three, two B players try to pick it up... it scoots away... A then picks it up and manages to get into the end zone for 2 points.