holding in the endzone

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by cougar729

MJT's got it, someone's intitial reaction might be to enforce from the 20 since the result was a touchback, but since B got the ball with clean hands, they surely can't committ a penalty in their own endzone, it would be just like A holing in their own endzone. Safety.

By rule, you're right - it is (by rule) enforced just like A holding in their endzone.

But the reason I hate this, and would make this my 1 rule change if I had the chance is this:

In the play where A holds in their own endzone, the ballcarrier was in the EZ in danger of a safety. It's possible or even probable that A's hold prevented an actual safety.

In the OP, with B's penalty in the EZ, the ballcarrier was in the EZ, but was NOT in danger of a safety. If B's penalty prevented a tackle in the EZ, all it prevented was a touchback.

If Fairness is our goal when constructing our penalty enforcements, it makes no sense (from a fairness point of view) to award a safety because of a penalty that did not help the penalized team avoid a safety.

(And yes, on the field, I'm awarding the safety and biting my tongue).