Illegal kicking and penalty...

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by kfo9494

K is in scrimmage kick formation on his own 20 yard line on 4th down.. R is trying to block the kick with only a few seconds left and behind by 6 points. The ball sails over the kickers head as R players are rushing for the ball. while the ball is loose on the 5 yard line, K1 kicks the ball into the end zone and past the endline. There are three seconds on the clock.
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This seems like a time where the penalty by K could actually help them out of a situation. Am I getting the penalty correct by saying that the best option for R maybe to take the re-kick fro, the 2 1/2yline.

No, because team A could surely kill the remaining 3 sec. while conceding a safety.

BTW, if you go way, way back in either USAn or Canadian football, if you kicked the ball out of bounds behind your own goal line, the attacking team would walk the ball in, touch it down, and score a TD.

Last down situations near the offense's own goal line are anomalous in that they can benefit by going backwards. I've long thought you shouldn't be able to give up a safety on last down, only a touchdown, like turning the ball over on downs in your own end zone, so that the incentive would always be to advance the ball. Of course, there can be a similar disincentive to advance the ball the last inch to the line-to-gain rather than being able to snap 2nd down and a spit to go.

Robert