scrimmage kick play

[chymechowder]

You're right. thanks for the correction.

I thought I'd read something about "an attempt to gain yardage" recently, and I had....in the 2005 rulebook I had in my car. (probably a bad habit to keep those around. haha.)

Granted, the forward batting of a backwards pass foul has got to be one of the rarest calls, but any idea on whether there were actual plays (in big games?) that prompted the rule change? Also, when did it change?

In my opinion, it does make more sense the way it is now. Better to disallow it completely than have the official try to divine the intent of a running back who bats a pitch forward.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by chymechowder

Granted, the forward batting of a backwards pass foul has got to be one of the rarest calls, but any idea on whether there were actual plays (in big games?) that prompted the rule change? Also, when did it change?

I don't remember when in Fed, but in NCAA there was an incident. Some time in the 1960s or earlier (it might even have been back when they went from 13 rules to 10) NCAA had recodified a section and left a loophole by forbidding only the gain of distance by batting a ball forward and out of bounds. The loophole languished until some time in the 1970s when a college varsity coach noticed it as explained in Illustrated Football Rules and put in a play where the ostensible place kick holder tossed the ball up like a volleyball serve for the kicker to slap forward, and then their whole team pounced on the ball in the end zone. Interestingly, coaches immediately realized this not to be in the spirit of the game, and even though a TD was ruled, it was never repeated by that or any other team, and the rules were amended the next season to the current provision. Indeed, it looks as if the play was done just to call the att'n of the rules committee to the loophole.

Robert in the Bronx