PKS brain freeze

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by ppaltice

When PSK fouls were first introduced in NF, the foul by R had to occur during the kick. They changed it so that the foul can occur at any time leading up to and including the kick.

The result is that on a punt/pass option play, if B commits illegal use of hands on A1 downfield, and A2, not realizing that's why the potential receiver isn't where he expects, punts the ball instead of passing, team A gets screwed out of the right to repeat the down, or maybe a first down.

Robert

[ppaltice]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

The result is that on a punt/pass option play, if B commits illegal use of hands on A1 downfield, and A2, not realizing that's why the potential receiver isn't where he expects, punts the ball instead of passing, team A gets screwed out of the right to repeat the down, or maybe a first down.

Robert

I agree, but that is the rule. Look at Case 10.4.3G. Almost identical to what you are saying (except with a hold down field).

As a BJ during the initial wording (PSK only during the kick), it was difficult to determine sometimes if the foul occured prior to the kick or during the kick. The current wording makes it much easier to officiate.

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by ppaltice

I agree, but that is the rule. Look at Case 10.4.3G. Almost identical to what you are saying (except with a hold down field).

As a BJ during the initial wording (PSK only during the kick), it was difficult to determine sometimes if the foul occured prior to the kick or during the kick. The current wording makes it much easier to officiate.

And 99% of the time, the punter will not look for a receiver getting held and decide to punt the ball. You don't complicate a rule to allow for something that happens so rarely.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by bisonlj

And 99% of the time, the punter will not look for a receiver getting held and decide to punt the ball. You don't complicate a rule to allow for something that happens so rarely.

It wasn't a matter of complicating an existing rule, but changing a previously existing one to eliminate the timing call mentioned by ppaltice -- although the thud of the foot on the ball has frequently been used as a time mark. I would think it'd be easier to rule on whether illegal use of hands by B took place before or after a ball was kicked than whether contact with a potential receiver was before or after a pass was released in that direction, because there's no sound when a pass is thrown. I also think the recent popularity of the running punt will present more "punt or pass optional" situations.

I can think of a couple of examples where Fed has altered a rule because the play situation was so rarely seen, they were afraid officials would err. One was when they banned kicks following CoP. The other, more recent, was banning forward passes following the 1st during a down. It was Fed that introduced multiple forward passes ca. 1940, starting with NCAA's rule that had never allowed the 2nd pass. The irony is that by having to rule on whether an initial pass was forward, they've given the officials more opp'ty to err.

But Fed hasn't applied the logic of rare plays to the free kick from a fair catch, which NCAA eliminated in 1950. Probably the thinking is since that's just another way to put the ball in play, it doesn't present officials with an unusual live ball situation.

Robert

[bossman72]

Casebook page 91 has a bunch of PSK situations