Play of the Day

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally posted by andy1033
Since when is a free kick considered a down? Does this mean that on free kicks, that after the RFP, all players must be momentarily inside the 9 yd marks?

All Players do not need to be inside the 9 yd mark on Free kicks after the RFP.

Since, well, always. NF 2-7-1:
A down is action which starts with a legal snap (beginning a scrimmage down) or when the ball is kicked on a free kick (beginning a free-kick down). A down ends when the ball next becomes dead.

Agreed on the second point, which is covered in NF 7-2-1:
After the ball is ready for play, each player of A who participated in the previous down and each substitute for A must have been, momentarily, between the 9-yard marks, before the snap.

Since there is no snap on a free-kick down, it is impossible for A to violate the provisions of this rule.