When Is a Runner Down?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by HossHumard

Really? Well, when you have a ball carrier who runs into a group of players and starts to get pushed backwards while still on his feet with no hope of breaking free you'll almost always see a whistle at NFL, CFL and amateur on both sides of the border....how is that different?

It's all about player safety in a situation like this, especially at amateur....

Maybe that is how they do it in Canada, but where I live that is not what we do. There are many plays where the whistle is not blown at all. And we certainly are not blowing the whistle if a player is still fighting or not really grasped.

The play in question looked like it might have been an issue or forward progress being stopped first. Then when the pile was moving McNabb fell forward. At least this is what the official that was ruling on the play was thinking. Because I recall that McNabb did go backwards.

Peace