New rule: QB diving forwards

[bbeagle]

I haven't heard this new rule talked about at all, but saw it in last night's Bills/Bengals pre-season game.

A QB who dives forward (without being touched by an opposing player) only gets his yardage for when he first touches the ground or his knee touches before the dive.

So, a QB who lunges forward from the 40 yard line to the 42, then slides out of bounds at the 43 untouched is only awarded the 42, but a RB/WR who does this gets the full yardage to the 43.

I can see this causing major controversy later in the year when someone like Russell Wilson or Tyrod Taylor runs the ball to the 3 yard line, dives - and without touching any defensive player - his knee touches when the ball is at the 1/4 yard line and then he slides into the end zone. This will be ruled that the ball is down at the 1/4 yard line instead of a touch down like it's been the past 100+ years.

Why does the NFL do this to itself?

[goodgrr]

Have you got the time in the game to review the play?

Only thing I can see in the rules that would make him dead is one of the following.

"(c) when a quarterback immediately drops to his knee (or simulates dropping to his knee) behind the line of scrimmage."

or

"(d) when a runner declares himself down by:
(1) falling to the ground, or kneeling, and clearly making no immediate effort to advance.
(2) sliding feet-first on the ground. When a runner slides feet-first, the ball is dead the instant he touches the ground with anything other than his hands or his feet."