Safety

[germump]

Originally posted by Middleman

Note: The proper team designations for kick plays are K and R, not A and B.

Thanks, I'm willing to learn

No, germup, you're not paying attention. You got it wrong - at least for FED rules.

The kick was touched by R beyond the neutral zone, true. This would allow K to keep the ball if recovered in the field of play. But when the ball entered R's end zone, it had not yet been possessed by R, so it was still a kick by definition. All non-scoring kicks become dead when the ball breaks the plane of R's goal line. Therefore the ball was dead before K could recover. It cannot ever be a TD, only a touchback. It also can never be a safety for the same reason. Force is not a factor on kicks entering R's end zone. So, regardless of who thinks they may have recovered the loose ball in the end zone, it is never anything but a touchback. No matter who touches it in the field of play, no matter how far it rolls or bounces, it is always a touchback.

Two things to remember:

A kick is still a kick until it is possessed or becomes dead by rule.

A non-scoring kick (other than an unsuccessful kick try) in R's end zone is always a touchback. Force is not a factor.

I forgot that you have more than one set of rules. We do only have one.
We are playing under NCAA rules with few exceptions in Germany.

[Edited by Middleman on Nov 3rd, 2001 at 07:53 AM] [/B]