Jim Beankie
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2020
- Messages
- 4,172
- Reaction score
- 5,109
Maybe a basic (and dumb) question, but I can't find the rules for this in the NFL rulebook. If a ball carrier decides to carry the ball "like a loaf of bread" and to touch the ground with the ball with full control, is that considered down? I know that post catch, the ball can hit the ground if possession is secure, but was just curious if purposefully using the ball to steady oneself would be allowed. Not that I could realistically see this given the massively disastrously high risk of fumbling unless someone has >24" hands.
"Note: If, after contact by an opponent, any part of a runner’s leg above the ankle or any part of his arm above the wrist touches the ground, the runner is down." The question is would the ball be considered "part of the arm above the wrist?"
An extreme version of this would be if this dude were holding a football in his palm while "running":
"Note: If, after contact by an opponent, any part of a runner’s leg above the ankle or any part of his arm above the wrist touches the ground, the runner is down." The question is would the ball be considered "part of the arm above the wrist?"
An extreme version of this would be if this dude were holding a football in his palm while "running":