Ground causing / not causing a fumble.
 

A couple of plays in the Steelers - Ravens game got me thinking. Why can the gound cause a fumble if an offensive player loses control of the ball while hitting the gound without being touched but if a QB goes into a slide and loses control it's not a fumble?

The Steelers Willie Ried went down on his own after losing his footing on a KO return and it was originally ruled a fumble. Replay overturned it bcause he was touched on the back a split second before he lost control. A little later Ravens QB Troy Smith went into a slide and clearly fumbled while going into the slide but was called "down by contact" without ever being touched. I can understand protecting the QB but I feel that should still be a fumble.

By far NOT an expert on Sunday rules but I think If the QB slides feet first he's ruled down, no touch needed. So in that play if the QB still had the ball when he slid, balls dead. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone will correct me.

This is supported the by the evidence that some officials have already ruled the play dead by marking the spot and reseting the 40-second play clock before a feet-first quarterback slide is touched by an opponent. I see it what seems like several times per season.

According to NFL Rules:

Rule 7, Section 4, Article 1, C-The Ball is Dead:

Whenever a runner declares himself down by sliding feet first on the ground. The ball is dead at the spot of the ball at the instant the runner so touches the ground.

Pretty well explains it. Good post as the announcers had led me to believe only the QB got that protection -- what do they know.

There was a play in a playoff game a couple of years ago where the runner for Philadelphia went down and he rolled out of bounds but the ball was on the ground inbounds. The opponents were able to recover the ball.

The rule applied which is NFL was the runner was not down by contact, therefore, the ball was still alive. NFHS the play would have ended once the runner was down.