My football rules complaint

[billyb]

Todd,
That is my argument. Along the side lines, a receiver catches a ball, his feet in bounds, but the ball was caught out of bound, on the opposite side of the side lines. But because his feet were in bounds, the ball is brought back into the field of play as considered in bounds catch.
The goal line, a player, his feet at the one yard line and he reaches across the goal line for a TD. The ball does not come back into the field of play, as the case of the receiver. Both lines, the plain was broken, but treated differently.

Bill


JIW,
I am from MI also, you must be talking about Johnson's catch/non catch, last year. What a crock. Even the announcers said that rule should be addressed. He had possession long enough in that case.

[nolemmings]

billyb,

My initial response was to jiw98. As for your initial post, I submit it is consistent to rule TD once the ball crosses the plane. When a runner is stretching for a first down, the ball is spotted not where his knees or other part landed, but where the ball was located in relation to the ground--no different than the TD play. If he needs to get to the 30, for example, and the stretched out ball is there before his knees land a yard short on the 29, the ball is still placed at a point on a plane at the 30. Are you suggesting that someone who clearly dives over the goal line and then gets knocked back, landing before the line must have the ball marked short? That's what I'm getting out of your initial post, where you say "Get a piece of that dirt behind the goal line." Why, when that's not how it is ruled elsewhere on the field?