Forward pass, does it need to break plane?

[chymechowder]

I agree. And I see your point about the forward point of the ball, especially with regard to a play at midfield.

But using the hypothetical play in the first post, tell me which part of 8-2-1-b has not been satisfied:

A player catches a forward pass in the opponent's end zone.

If the offensive coach said to you: "My player caught a forward pass. He was in the endzone when he did so." What could you specifically point to in the book to refute his claim that the conditions of 8-2-1-b had been met?


What nags me, I suppose, is the wording of 8-2-1-b. If "in the opponent's end zone" is NOT meant to refer to the player (and I agree that it probably doesn't), then the thing it refers to is "a forward pass."

So what, exactly, is a forward pass in the end zone?

If you wanted to define it as a ball that has passed over the goal line (extended), I'd say that's a good definition.

Only problem is there is no such definition--at least none of which I'm aware.

4-2-4-c comes closest, I think. Saying that a receiver in the end zone who reaches over a sideline or the endline is credited with a completion. But still, one would have to make an inference that reaching back over the goal line = not in the endzone.