Punts

[Rich]

Originally Posted by chymechowder

so you want to "protect" that player from getting destroyed and kill the play as soon as he catches the kick. (but don't be so quick to protect him that you blow the whistle as he's muffing it!)

I think this is a recipe for an inevitable IW. Do not think you are protecting anyone. If the kid gets hit due to an invalid signal, it's not your job to "protect" him -- penalize the invalid signal and move on. If it's a valid signal, the *signal* gives him protection, not your whistle.

An IW on a muffed punt is one of the absolute worst things that can happen -- so much so that I stress this every week when we pregame. It's the signal that offers the protection, the catch that kills the play, and the whistle simply acknowledges that after the fact.