Interception on EZ

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Don't forget that Team B screwed up by committing a foul in the end zone. It would be the same if they were on offense and committed a foul in the end zone behind the basic spot. They may not even put the ball in the end zone in that situation but by committing a foul there, the other team is going to be awarded a safety.

But if it were under the same philosophy as fouls in the field of play, the result would be a distance penalty from that spot, which would still result in a touchback when it was the other team's responsibility for putting the ball behind the goal line.

What is the team protecting that end zone to gain by fouling when they're in possession of the ball there? They could prevent the runner's being tackled there. But if the tackle would've resulted in a touchback, why should the foul convert that to a safety?

The safety may result from the application of simple rules, but it's not equitable to penalize worse than the worst case scenario would've been for them (assuming no change of possession) had they not fouled.