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Last Answer on January 23, 2021

Our team kicks a pooch kickoff to the opposing team's 25. Kick bounces and our player reaches to recover, but hits the ball to R's 5 yard line. R recovers at the 5, but officials place ball at spot of K's touching (25). Is this correct?

Asked by Trevor almost 8 years ago

You don't say whether this is a free kick or a scrimmage kick. If it's a scrimmage kick, the officials dd it right. Kickers can't touch a scrimmage kick that has crossed the line of scrimmage until it touches a receiver player. By touching it at the 25 you have first (high school) or illegal (NCAA) touching. That gives the ball to the receiving team at the spit of first touching. Possible additional fun: you say your player "hit" the ball from the 25 to the 5. That could be considered an illegal bat by the kickers.

If this is a free kick, your player could have recovered the untouched kick and it would be your ball at the spot of recovery -- of course, without an illegal bat.

750 Votes

In tonights game between dolphins and texans on the play at end of first half where Osweiler fumbled and Houston picked it up for a td, the ball went backwards so why not a backwards pass which is in play for defense to pick up and run into end zone?

Asked by Greg almost 8 years ago

A fumble is a fumble, not a backwards pass. That being said, they're both still alive for a defensive score.

749 Votes

Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made.

Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed

Asked by statman24 almost 8 years ago

Not rare at all. You are describing a post scrimmage kick enforcement (PSK). Under PSK, if B - the receivers - commits a foul during the kick and they are the team to next put the ball in play, then PSK rules apply. So, in your situation, B holds behind where the kick ends (at the 30); the foul is administered from the spot of the hold at the 25. B 1/10 at the 15.

744 Votes

On a running play that goes past the 1st down marker and then there is a hold where do you mark the penalty off from?

Asked by TheStripedOne almost 8 years ago

As noted above, on a running play, a foul behind the basic spot (in this case the end of the run) is enforced from the spot of the foul. It may or may not be a first down. In the play above, there was a gain well beyond the line to gain, so in enforcing the foul, you had a first down. But if the hold was, say, only five yards beyond the line of scrimmage, that is from where the penalty is enforced. So if there was more than five yards to go, a ten yard penalty is an issue. Enforcing from five yards beyond takes it to five yards behind. No first down.

740 Votes

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So if a team plays football on a Thursday of a given week, and that player plays in the game, but is then traded/released and signs with a new team on Friday, are they able to play in another game on that Sunday?

Asked by John almost 7 years ago

I don't know. That is an NFL policy or regulation dealing with the structure of the league. I have a hard enough time understanding the playing rules. Sorry.

739 Votes

On a screen pass, If the ball is caught behind the line of scrimmage, can you start blocking downfield before the ball is caught? Does it matter if pass is forward (not a lateral)?

Asked by Tom over 7 years ago

Blocking downfield seems to indicate you're looking at offensive pass interference. In college, pass interference only occurs when a legal forward pass crosses the line of scrimmage. If a pass is caught behind the line, it obviously hasn't crossed the line of scrimmage. If it's a backward pass (no such thing as a lateral) then it isn't forward and you can't have OPI.

739 Votes

A holds B on a scimmage kick at the line of scrimmage. Is the spot of enforcement where A recieves the scrimmage kick.

Asked by Jeffrey Kroupa almost 8 years ago

First, minor correction: B receives the kick. The foul by A is a previous spot, meaning a rekick after penalty enforcement.

739 Votes

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Football Official

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Our team kicks a pooch kickoff to the opposing team's 25. Kick bounces and our player reaches to recover, but hits the ball to R's 5 yard line. R recovers at the 5, but officials place ball at spot of K's touching (25). Is this correct?

In tonights game between dolphins and texans on the play at end of first half where Osweiler fumbled and Houston picked it up for a td, the ball went backwards so why not a backwards pass which is in play for defense to pick up and run into end zone?

Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made.

Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed

On a running play that goes past the 1st down marker and then there is a hold where do you mark the penalty off from?

Also on Jobstr...

So if a team plays football on a Thursday of a given week, and that player plays in the game, but is then traded/released and signs with a new team on Friday, are they able to play in another game on that Sunday?

On a screen pass, If the ball is caught behind the line of scrimmage, can you start blocking downfield before the ball is caught? Does it matter if pass is forward (not a lateral)?

A holds B on a scimmage kick at the line of scrimmage. Is the spot of enforcement where A recieves the scrimmage kick.

Football Official

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Our team kicks a pooch kickoff to the opposing team's 25. Kick bounces and our player reaches to recover, but hits the ball to R's 5 yard line. R recovers at the 5, but officials place ball at spot of K's touching (25). Is this correct?

In tonights game between dolphins and texans on the play at end of first half where Osweiler fumbled and Houston picked it up for a td, the ball went backwards so why not a backwards pass which is in play for defense to pick up and run into end zone?

Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made. Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed

On a running play that goes past the 1st down marker and then there is a hold where do you mark the penalty off from?

Also on Jobstr...

So if a team plays football on a Thursday of a given week, and that player plays in the game, but is then traded/released and signs with a new team on Friday, are they able to play in another game on that Sunday?

On a screen pass, If the ball is caught behind the line of scrimmage, can you start blocking downfield before the ball is caught? Does it matter if pass is forward (not a lateral)?

A holds B on a scimmage kick at the line of scrimmage. Is the spot of enforcement where A recieves the scrimmage kick.

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Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made.

Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed