Reading the rules and studying up for this season I came across an interesting conundrum that I thought I would get some input on.
Rule 7-3-7 Exception appears to address only incomplete illegal passes from the end zone. Maybe I am reading to much into this, but does B have the same option to decline the penalty and have the ball placed at the previous spot w/ loss of down if it is a completed pass?
Situation: 4th and 14th from A's 2 yard line. A12 takes the snap and hands off to A21 who fumbles at A's 4 yard line. The ball bounces back to A's 1 yard where A6 recovers the fumble and steps backwards into the end zone where he throws a completed forward pass to A85 at A's 15 yard line where he is tackled.
Can team B decline the penalty and take the ball at A's 2 yard line or because it was a completed catch do they have to take the safety? The language of the rule would seem to indicate because it was an illegal forward pass thrown from the end zone, B can decline the penalty. However this exception seems to only deal with illegal incomplete forward passes.
[/size]
Obviously intentional grounding is a form of incomplete illegal forward pass so it doesn't necessarily apply to my question.
