illegal forward pass (defense)

[Warrenkicker]

Originally Posted by mbyron

The play took place during a kick. Therefore, it cannot be an illegal forward pass, and would not be blown dead when incomplete...

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If the ball leaves a players hands voluntarily then it is a either a pass or a hand-off no matter how that play started. If the ball travels in flight prior to touching another player or the ground then it is a pass. If the ball does not travel forward then it is a backward pass. If the ball travels forward then it is a forward pass and can be ruled incomplete. At the college and NFL level they want to let this play go and deal with enforcements of those later just to make sure they get it all right. Letting the play go allows two outcomes. Blowing it dead only allows one whether it was correct or not.