Question on "Half the Distance to the Goal" [merged]

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Half the distance to the goal... what stops cheating?

Another day, another rulebook question....aaaaaaaaaaaah the offseason!

It's been a while since i dusted off my official NFL rulebook, but I would imagine that if there is not a specific rule against this, it would fall under one of a few "blanket" or umbrella rules in the back of the book that cover "other" illegal practices used to restrict competition/alter the outcome of a game.

The examples traditionally given are if a player comes in from the sideline during a play to tackle a player with the ball in the open field, or throwing a cooler or bench or something for the same purpose. So I am not sure if it would fall under the rules.

The penalties given for said penalties are player/coach ejection and forfeiture of the game.

As other posters have noted, the clock automatically stops on a penalty; the ten-second runoff rule only applies if the team on defense chooses to accept the penalty (they have the right to decline). Moreover, the game cannot end on an enforced penalty, so the opposing team can always demand an extra play off the clock.

As far as "palpably unfair acts" go, the rule allows officials to award a touchdown in the case of repeated defensive penalties in the red zone (e.g., four straight holding calls inside the 5), but makes no explicit provision, AFAIK, for offensive penalties that might lead to a safety.

 

[Sivy]

Re: Half the distance to the goal... what stops cheating?

Another day, another rulebook question....aaaaaaaaaaaah the offseason!

It's been a while since i dusted off my official NFL rulebook, but I would imagine that if there is not a specific rule against this, it would fall under one of a few "blanket" or umbrella rules in the back of the book that cover "other" illegal practices used to restrict competition/alter the outcome of a game.

The examples traditionally given are if a player comes in from the sideline during a play to tackle a player with the ball in the open field, or throwing a cooler or bench or something for the same purpose. So I am not sure if it would fall under the rules.

The penalties given for said penalties are player/coach ejection and forfeiture of the game.

has that ever actually happened?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Half the distance to the goal... what stops cheating?

has that ever actually happened?

I can't recall it happening, though I can certainly believe that a player/coach has been disqualified. That said, AFAIK, a team cannot actually forfeit a game for any reason other than a failure to take the field.

 

[Sivy]

Re: Half the distance to the goal... what stops cheating?

I can't recall it happening, though I can certainly believe that a player/coach has been disqualified. That said, AFAIK, a team cannot actually forfeit a game for any reason other than a failure to take the field.

I see, I dont see that ever happening, unless it was a strike, and that would mean that no team take the feild.

 

[DGameguy]

Re: Half the distance to the goal... what stops cheating?

Yeh I don't know I'll take a look at my rulebook when I get home. If it became something commonplace I would imagine the competition committee would look at a way to stop it.

As for historical instances of palpably unfair acts, I know of none in the NFL, though I wouldn't be surprised if this had happened at some other level of football or (to a lesser extant) in the very early days of the NFL. A lot of weird things happen in high school games. A friend of a friend was ejected from a hs game in NY after taunting an opposing player whose leg he had just clearly broken, I've never heard of anything like that before either.

 

[cartmen]

Re: Half the distance to the goal...what stops cheating?

not sure if this has been said yet but if you are on your own goalline and you hold in the endzone its a saftey. everything else is a deadball foul which would stop the clock. Please learn the game if you are going to take up space on the forum board god!

 

[pao]

Re: Half the distance to the goal... what stops cheating?

<< False start is a dead ball foul and, if the clock isn't already stopped, stops the clock when called. No time is run. >>

Are you totally sure about that? Often you see the clock start ticking down a second or two before a false start is called. The clock is never reset to what it was before the play was started.

If it is a dead ball foul, as false start is, the clock is reset as though no play was run. Also my Intentional Grounding example is kind of lame because it is loss of down anyway AND it stops the clock, no need to decline it.

sdfan