NFL Fumble

[maven]

Originally Posted by Suudy

Out of curiosity, why is this the rule? Even for NCAA with the 4th down fumble rule. Was there an issue of intentional loose balls?

That's right. The rule addresses the situation where on 4th down the defense has stopped a runner short of the LTG and before going down the runner "fumbles" the ball past the LTG. If recovered by an opponent, no big deal, since the offense was going to turn it over on downs anyway. If recovered by a teammate, the offense gets a "cheap" new series.

The "Holy Roller" play was pretty clearly an IFP and illegal bat if you ask me.