Forward pass, does it need to break plane?

[VALJ]

Originally Posted by chymechowder

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?

"The forward progress of the ball never broke the plane of the goal line, coach." Would you score a TD on a running play if the RB got spun around by a tackle and backed one foot into EZ, even though the ball never broke the plane?

I had that happen on a 2-point conversion two years ago. Offensive team (on my side) was up big, so it wasn't a tough sell, but in a closer game I imagine that discussion might have gotten a bit more heated.