Nit picking on a field goal question

[BigFarns]

Originally Posted by AndrewMcCarthy

I'll bite on this one.

I have no idea what the answer is but I would rule that the entire ball must pass the entire crossbar for the FG to be good.

My logic in this is that you could have the ball hit the crossbar (happens all the time) with part of it "through" the goal (the ball is bigger than the bar plus it's a funny shape, remember) and bounce back into the end zone. Imagine the ball coming to rest (balancing) on the crossbar with one point beyond it and one over the end zone then falling back into the end zone. I would never rule this to be good- would you??

For your safety question the entire ball must be entirely in the field of play to avoid the safety. If any part of the ball is over any part of the goal line it is in the end zone- same for touchdown as it is for safety.

I don't agree with you on the question of avoiding the safety. I don't have my books on me right now...I'll grab them when I get home....but I'm almost certain that forward progress is the foremost tip of the ball and if that foremost tip in past the plane of the goaline and in the field of play then the ballcarriers forward progress is NOT stopped in the end zone and therefore not a safety. Then when placing the ball I'm again almost certain that since no part of the ball can be in the endzone that the offense is "given" the few inches to make the back part of the ball get out of the endzone. Again I will get my books as soon as I get home cause these "once in a lifetime" situations are what makes reading the rulebook fun.