Foul where distance gained prior to foul
 

Excuse the perhaps simple question but I am new to the U.S. rules. Under NFL rules does the penalty for a foul get included before or after the determination for first down. (In Canada it is after if the distance is gained before the foul.)

Situation (NFL rules):

Team A 3rd and 10 at the A 20 yard line. Players A42 rushes the ball. Player A10 holds at the A 35 yard line and the ball goes dead at the A 40.

Is the result 3rd and 5 at the A 25 or is it 1st and 10 at the A 25?

Thanks.

3rd and 5.

It's after the foul is considered. In your example, the runner may not have gotten the first down without the hold. Go back to the previous spot (NFL rules) and penalize from there and repeat 3rd down. It will be 3rd & 20 from the A's 10.

It is my understanding that enforcement for offensive fouls not behind the LOS was from the spot of the foul, not the previous spot. Can someone clarify?

You're right. I was thinking of a foul behind the line.

It may be tedious, but often the correct answer to the question being asked depends ENTIRELY on which rules code you are questioning. There are major, and sometimes basic, differences between the collegiate (NCAA) and High School (NFHS) rules codes, so it's impossible to provide a correct answer without choosing a specific code.

NFHS - All-but-one; NCAA - Three-but-one. The spot of the foul is A's 35. A42 reached A's 40 where it would have been a first down. By rule, you must consider the action during the live ball as the hold is a live ball foul. Consider, A42 reached the 40 with the assistance of the hold at the 35. Result after penalty enforcement 3rd and 5.

To try and explain this a different way; A runner is entitled to any and all yardage he gains without fouling. Once he fouls, however, any yardage he gains after fouling is considered tainted. When the opponent accepts the foul, the runner suffers the penalty measured from where he fouled, rather than where he may have wound up, because that additional yardage is considered tainted.

There will be times that the opponent, for any number of reasons, would rather accept the results of the play, including the tainted yardage, and will choose to decline the penalty, in which case even the tainted yardage gain stands.

Ah, he wrote "Situation (NFL rules):".

Canadian Ruling
 

CANADIAN RULING:

In the GWN, we need to know where the ball was held when the hold occurred. If before the LTG, back 10 from PLS, DR. If after the LTG, back 10 from the PBH, 1D/10.

:D

just another reason as to why football rules are so much more complicated than baseball or basketball, and why i hate discussing football rules not in person lol

edit: sorry, didn't realize the thread date, mods please delete this post...

NCAA: This is a running play where the basic spot is the end of the run. The foul is behind the basic spot, so its a spot foul. Mark the ball off 10 yards to the A 25 and replay the down -- 3rd and 5.

NCAA basic spots depend on what type of play it is and can be confusing when you get into change of possession plays. Also, there are some exceptions when the foul is behind the neutral zone, depending on the foul.

Can anyone give me an example of a play where we need a basic spot analysis rather than the enforcement spot being listed with the foul? To me, the basic spot stuff is anything but basic and should be eliminated with all penalties giving their enforcement spots in the rule.

I gather what you mean is that an unnecessary mental step and verbiage have been introduced into the penalty enforcement procedure. Do I have you right?

No one has given me a rationale for why we have a basic spot where the basic spot comes up when a penalty doesn't give a specific enforcement spot. Why not just have all fouls specify. You have many spots -- spot of the foul, end of the run, previous spot, succeeding spot, etc. On holding, the specified enforcement spot could be, "spot of the foul, unless the end of the related run or end of the pass is behind the spot, then end of the run/pass."

Technical terms are defined to save words. Count the number of times "basic spot" occurs, add the words used in definiing it, and see whether fewer words would used in the rule book with or without it. If the term doesn't save words, it doesn't justify its existence.