Punts

[chymechowder]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

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.

agreed...which is why I put the word protect in quotes and cautioned against the IW.

of course we dont want too quick a whistle here. but I also don't want a slow whistle to contribute to a kid getting blown up by a gunner unnecessarily.

related rules question for the Fed guys: you said you penalize an invalid signal. what's the penalty? (we don't have a penalty for it in Mass.)

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by chymechowder

agreed...which is why I put the word protect in quotes and cautioned against the IW.

of course we dont want too quick a whistle here. but I also don't want a slow whistle to contribute to a kid getting blown up by a gunner unnecessarily.

related rules question for the Fed guys: you said you penalize an invalid signal. what's the penalty? (we don't have a penalty for it in Mass.)

I agree with Rich: a whistle isn't going to protect anybody. You're trying to avoid a slow whistle, but a better strategy is to try to avoid a quick whistle.

Invalid FC signal: 5 yards, often a PSK foul.