Blocked Field Goal Beyond the LOS
 

What happens when a field goal is blocked beyond the line of scrimmage? It's my understanding this is a free ball. If the kicking team recovers and the yardage advanced is sufficient for a first down, it's first down.

Is this right?

If so, is there a signal given by the referrees alerting the players whether the ball "is free" or not?

I can't imagine a field goal attempt being blocked anywhere beyond the neutral zone that wouldn't put the ball in the end zone. Semantics aside, if the ball is touched by R beyond the neutral zone then K has a right to recover the ball. The touching by R beyond the neutral zone will result in a new series for somebody.

It is not the responsibility of the officials to notify the players of the ball's status.

How about a 40-yard field goal, and the linebacker jumps high. He doesn't even need to jump high - the kick is low and hits his raised arm. The ball is now rolling at the 20.

Your answer is in my previous reply:

if the ball is touched by R beyond the neutral zone then K has a right to recover the ball. The touching by R beyond the neutral zone will result in a new series for somebody.

Very good - now, my concrete example. Leon Lett is ridiculed for his botched attempt to recover the blocked Dolphin field goal years ago. However, it's hard to tell just where the block took place. The defensive lineman got little penetration, so they're possibly "beyond the neutral zone". The field goal was low, probably due to the snow. The ball then rolled towards the end zone.

To me, it's possibly a live ball. Why the Dolphins didn't jump on it, I don't know. Why the Cowboys didn't either, I don't know! In the absence of an official signaling "live ball" or not, the prudent action would seem to be "recover the ball".

If it's a low scrimmage kick, touching is ignored in the EXPANDED neutral zone.

So R has 2 yards to deal with, and I'm betting that's where the LB was when he blocked it.

Can't speak to NFL rules, but I bet it's similar, and I know every other person on the field seemed to know what the rule was except Dr. Lett. But I'm a Dolphons fan, so needless to say I laaaaaauuuuuugggghhhheeeedddddd very hard indeed. It still makes me smile to think about it.

Canadian Ruling
 

Welcome to the forum, michael!


CANADIAN RULING:

FGA blocked beyond the LS is a live ball. Team A can still throw a forward pass. If A recovers, they do still need to gain yards for a 1D.

CANADIAN MECHANIC:

No.

Scrimmage kicks
 

NFHS-It may be easier to to view punts/field goals etc, as scrimmage kicks in general. As noted before, low scrimmage kicks are ignored if touched by R beyond the expanded neutral zone. Just my $.o2
tro

No No, the touching is ignored if in or behind the expanded NZ, not beyond it.

I'm sure you know that, just mistyped.

Also, the NZ is never expanded into the EZ.

Under NFHS:

The expanded neutral zone may be expanded following the snap to a maximum of two yards beyond the defensive line of scrimmage in the field of play.

This applies on scrimmage kicks and forward passes, but has no relevance on running plays.

And as mentioned above the neutral zone is never expanded into the End Zone.

What difference would that last bit make in Fed anyway, as long as they keep it that the kick is dead on entering the end zone?

AFAIK, only in Canadian football is there a technical understanding to "blocked" as applied to a kick, as opposed to merely being touched. In USAn ball, it doesn't matter how or with what effect either team touches a scrimmage kick. A kick could be stuffed, deflected, or whatever, and it'd be the same as if it'd been rolling on the ground and touched.

There was an implicit understanding of "blocked" as applied to return kicks, but now that all the major USAn codes have outlawed the return kick and even kicks from scrimmage plays where the ball is beyond the neutral zone, that doesn't matter any more.

In rugby there's also a need to distinguish a kick as having been "charged down" as opposed to merely touched.

Robert

I'm having trouble finding "expanded neutral zone" in the rule book. Under "Scrimmage Kick", rule 9, section 1, article 6, the "note" reads "When the kickers recover a legal kick from scrimmage after it has been first touched by the receiving team beyond the line, etc." Article 7 goes on to describe the situation when the ball is touched "in the immediate vicinity of the neutral zone", and the ball goes beyond the line, etc.

The former simply talks about "beyond the line"; the latter "in the immediate vicinity of the neutral zone" (without defining this).

But I can find no reference anywhere to "expanded neutral zone". Can you help?

ALWAYS look at Rule 2. Nothing else works without the definitions. 2.28.2 "The neutral zone may be expanded following the snap up to a maximum of 2 yards behind the defensive line of scrimmage, in the field of play, during any scrimmage down."

I bet he did, but was looking under "e" for "expanded".