Was that a safety?

Digest of Rules Main

Safety
The important factor in a safety is impetus. Two points are scored for the opposing team when the ball is dead on or behind a team’s own goal line if the impetus came from a player on that team.

Examples of Safety:

(a) Blocked punt goes out of kicking team’s end zone. Impetus was provided by punting team. The block only changes direction of ball, not impetus.

(b) Ball carrier retreats from field of play into his own end zone and is downed. Ball carrier provides impetus.

(c) Offensive team commits a foul and spot of enforcement is behind its own goal line.

(d) Player on receiving team muffs punt and, trying to get ball, forces or illegally kicks (creating new impetus) it into end zone where it goes out of the end zone or is recovered by a member of the receiving team in the end zone.

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http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/safety2

It sure looked like the Colts provided the impetus by kicking the ball into the end zone after the impetus of the kick had been stopped on the field by the receiving team.

Mack Herron said:

It sure looked like the Colts provided the impetus by kicking the ball into the end zone after the impetus of the kick had been stopped on the field by the receiving team.

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That was my take on it. I'm sure Dean Blandino will weasel and waffle his way around it, though.

Completely agree. I knew they got the call wrong immediately. I had read that rule while looking up the rules on touchbacks because of the Detroit-Arizona game (another one I think they blew).

Definitely a safety. It even looked like all the players on the field thought so.

Nikolai said:

Completely agree. I knew they got the call wrong immediately. I had read that rule while looking up the rules on touchbacks because of the Detroit-Arizona game (another one I think they blew).

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If I was Detroit's coach, I'd be livid with the referees over that call. That was a live ball and even one of the refs thought so, as he was running down the field with the ball carrier (I forget his name).

Detroit would have likely still lost that game, but they should have had the ball then near mid-field, not back near the goal line.

The Colts without a doubt pushed a dead ball into the end zone. I was livid. Then I had to watch Browner subsequently be roasted by Fleener on a drive that shouldn't have even been allowed to happen.

If it's not then teams should just start kicking the ball into the endzone for a touchback. But there's a reason they don't do that... Cuz it's a safety.

My thought is that it was a safety since the ball was touched outside the end zone by Indy and they knocked it into the end zone. I can't imagine how it's not one.

On a similar note, how about those kicks from Gost? They had those returners messed up all night long.

Apparently the logic is that the kick was unintentional. But rules are pretty crispy when they start forcing refs to gauge intent.

sieglo said:

Apparently the logic is that the kick was unintentional. But rules are pretty crispy when they start forcing refs to gauge intent.

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My thing on this is the player was intentionally trying to pick the ball up and messed up. Just because it went into the end zone shouldn't erase that mistake. It doesn't make any sense.

Gwedd said:

If I was Detroit's coach, I'd be livid with the referees over that call. That was a live ball and even one of the refs thought so, as he was running down the field with the ball carrier (I forget his name).

Detroit would have likely still lost that game, but they should have had the ball then near mid-field, not back near the goal line.

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Detroit got screwed. If the Cardinal hung onto the ball, his momentum would have carried him into the endzone....ball on the 20. But since he tossed it forward, the Cardinals are awarded the 1 yard line spot????? Where's the logic? "Continuation"is judged on receptions.....but not on this play?

I definitely thought it was a safety.

plain and simple....that was a safety.

It was either home cooking or they missed the Colts player kicking it. Was surprised at first Belichick didnt challenge it but then thought they would uphold it.

Although like @mayoclinic said Blandino will weasle his way around it and come up with some excuse instead of just saying the refs missed the call.

Which will then have teams practicing scenarios like this if the kickoff is within the 5 yard line. "Dont catch it just "accidently" kick it into the end zone and fall on it"

I would be willing to bet that Belichick was told that the play was not reviewable. There's no other explanation for him keeping that red flag in his pocket. I thought it was a safety for sure.

JMC00 said:

Which will then have teams practicing scenarios like this if the kickoff is within the 5 yard line. "Dont catch it just "accidently" kick it into the end zone and fall on it"

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Kick it out of the end zone and you don't even have to fall on it.

The only way I can make sense of it is that the officials saw a muff rather than a kick. (Anybody have a video clip?)

patchick said:

The only way I can make sense of it is that the officials saw a muff rather than a kick. (Anybody have a video clip?)

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Muff or not, once the Colts player touched it, it's a live ball with their possession. It would be no different than a player who touched the ball for an on side kick and doesn't keep it..

That's should have been a safety..

That totally blown call was a huge momentum changer that could have lost the Pats the game as it led to a Horsie TD. The 2 points would have meant that Indy needed an extra drive for a FG to tie the game instead of going for a 2 point after to erase an 8 point deficit.

DaBruinz said:

Muff or not, once the Colts player touched it, it's a live ball with their possession. It would be no different than a player who touched the ball for an on side kick and doesn't keep it..

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DaBruinz, my understanding is that it IS different. Touchback rules are about "impetus," not mere contact. The issue in this case is that the ball's progress had stopped, and the Colts player provided the impetus that pushed it into the endzone.

Edit -- from the NFL rulebook:

Touchback Situations. When a team provides the impetus (3-15-3) that sends a loose ball
behind its opponent’s goal line, it is a touchback:
(a) if the ball is dead in the opponent’s possession in its end zone

As I understand it, this means that a kickoff that, say, bounces off a KR's helmet into the endzone and is downed by the receiving team is a standard touchback.