Discussed this at length with Steve Shaw at our ESPN seminar. He said he would put out a bulletin with examples.
Specifically:
1. To get the 25 yard line the person who signals (valid or invalid) must make the catch.
2. Player signals, muffs the kick but it doesn't touch the ground and that same player now catches the kick... 25 yard line.
3. Player signals at the 5, muffs the ball & it touches the ground; "B" player recovers at the 4 yard line... B's ball @ 4 yard line.
4. Player signals at the 5, muffs the ball and it goes forward and OOB at the 7 yard line... B's ball @ 7 yard line.
5. B player #1 signals at the 5; B player #2 makes the catch at the 7 yard line... B's ball at the 7 yard line.
You must be the player catching the free kick who signals to get the 25 yard line.
Interesting in the play described that B player #1 signals and muffs the ball at the 5 and it's now caught in the EZ by a teammate... It's not a fair catch but it's still a kick that "A" put in the EZ. It's dead when caught because of the fair catch signal by a teammate but isn't it still a touchback???
Bill,
At your item 2, I concur the intent is for this to yield B's ball at the B-25, but the language of rule 6-5-1-b doesn't support that. 6-5-1-b does not include the "exception" that is included in 6-5-1-a, that allows for team B to get the ball at the B-25. That exception is only included in 6-5-1-a, which means the exception only applies to 6-5-1-a; thus, in the case of a muff that is eventually caught by the signaler/muffer, the ball belongs to B at the spot of the catch - no exception to get it at the B-25. If the intent is for this to also allow Team B to get the ball at the B-25, then the exception needs to be added to 6-5-1-b, OR the exception should be positioned after 6-5-1-b, with notation that the exception applies to a and b (if the ball is caught by the signaler).
Regarding the non-signaler completing the catch in the end zone after a muff by the signaler in the field of play, 6-5-1-b (second sentence) and AR 6-5-1-I (specifically direct that the ball belongs to B where it was first touched by the signaler/muffer. In the given play, by this rule, B would get the ball at the B-5 - no touchback.
When the rule regarding muffs was introduced many years ago, the intent was to not allow B to gain an advantage by muffing the ball forward (intentionally or otherwise), particularly (but not exclusively) while Team A was restricted from interfering with the signaler or ball following a valid signal. Unfortunately, the rule makes no distinction between a catch completed beyond or behind the spot where the ball was first touched. Perhaps it should, i.e., the ball belongs to B where it was first touched when muffed by the signaler, or the spot of the catch, whichever is nearer to B's end line. So, if it was finally caught in the end zone, indeed, they would get a touchback. That's fair.
Note that AR 6-5-1-I was edited for 2018 to include a catch following an invalid signal (as well as a valid signal). 6-5-3 does not address a muff after an invalid signal, so the rule applies to both a clean catch and a catch following a muff. Unfortunately, that puts 6-5-3 in direct conflict with the AR, as 6-5-3 still directs that the ball belongs to B at the spot of the catch (or recovery, but we aren't worried about recoveries - we know those don't qualify for the B-25 exception).
Good to hear from you.
Robert