Forward progress questions

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by maven

That's the answer to question 1. And the wing opposite the ball should know this and adjust to mirror the covering wing, so that the problem is gone by the time the U spots the ball.

The answer to question 2 is: no NFL wing would ever lose his spot because someone else threw a flag. You ALWAYS need to know the result of the play. That would be quite a rookie error (or, for an NFL official, a career-ending brain fart).

You can also add that the NFL is placing the ball at the spot and relaying in another ball for the U. The original ball isn't moved until the U has the spot.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by waltjp

You can also add that the NFL is placing the ball at the spot and relaying in another ball for the U. The original ball isn't moved until the U has the spot.

Our practice in 7-man NCAA games is to spot the same football inside the numbers and get a new football when the play ends at the numbers or outside.

Since the NFL hashmarks are about six inches apart , I'm not sure of their practice.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by waltjp

You can also add that the NFL is placing the ball at the spot and relaying in another ball for the U. The original ball isn't moved until the U has the spot.

Is this true in the middle of the field, as in the OP?

[jTheUmp]

The NFL mechanic is the same is the NCAA mechanic in terms of ball rotation: Use the same ball if between the numbers, new ball from numbers/sideline.

Of course, the NFL umpire I know only has three spots for where he places the ball (left hash, middle, right hash), where I usually use 5 (left hash, left upright, middle, right upright, right hash).