Illegal Touching -- Punts

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by BAlaxer

When I coached I always told my players to pick up the punt and hand it to the offical when the downed it. This way a R player can not come along and pick up the ball after first touching. Even if the ball is not rolling anymore it only becomes truly dead when the ball is not moving and not player is making an attempt to gain possesion

That is not entirely true. The ball is dead if the kicking team is first to touch a scrimmage kick at rest beyond the neutral zone.

4-2-2 The ball is dead and the down is ended:

f. When the kickers catch or recover any free kick anywhere, and when the
kickers catch or recover a scrimmage kick beyond the neutral zone and
when the kickers are first (i.e., before any touching by the receivers) to
touch a scrimmage kick after it has come to rest beyond the neutral zone
and between the goal lines.