When Is a Runner Down?

[Robert Goodman]

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?

But that's a textbook case of another way to make a ball in player possession dead, forward progress stopped. It's not an ad hoc ruling, it's part of the rules.

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

I think what they're saying is that you might rule the runner held with progress stopped sooner under some conditions than under other conditions, based on relative danger.