Another roughing the kicker situation

[MJT]

Originally posted by BktBallRef

I've never seen a case play or website interp for this play but I think you're splitting hairs. The rule states, "A kicker is any player who legally punts, drop kicks or place kicks." It does not say "who HAS legally punted,..." This is a kicker who is in the process of punting the ball and is at his most vulnerable. The definition of a punt says, "A punt is a legal kick by a player who drops the ball and kicks it before it has touched the ground." Dropping the ball is part of punting the ball.

Unless the defender can get to him while he's still a runner, I believe the rule requires him to go for the block and not the kicker. If it's reasonable to assume a kick will be made and contact is avoidable, he has to avoid him. I've got a flag.

[Edited by BktBallRef on Oct 9th, 2005 at 09:13 PM]

Definitions

"kicker is any player who legally punts...he continues to be a kicker until he has had a resonable opportunity to regain his balance."

"passer is a player who throws a forward pass. He continues to be a passer until the pass ends or until he moves to participate in the play."

"runnner is a player in possession of a live ball"

A kicker is NOT a player in position to receive a snap more than 7 yards back, or someone who is preparing to kick, he is a back (runner) until he kicks it.

Definitions show that a passer and kicker are very similar in their definitions and you are not going to call roughing the passer if they smack the QB before he passes, even if he is starting his motion, so why would you call roughing the kicker before he kicks it?

This has been discussed before and most agree that he is a runner until he kicks the ball, so if you get to him before he kicks it, you cannot have RTK. You could only have a PF if you felt it was that for a regular runner.