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Football Officiating => National Football League => Topic started by: will27 on September 25, 2016, 09:20:14 PM

Title: Ineligible receiver catching the ball
Post by: will27 on September 25, 2016, 09:20:14 PM

In today's Jets-Chiefs game: QB threw a pass that hit Jets center in back of helmet, ball popped up in air...
Jets OT slapped the ball down...no penalty.
If he had caught the ball, would it have been a penalty?

Title: Re: Ineligible receiver catching the ball
Post by: APG on September 27, 2016, 01:01:03 AM

ARTICLE 8.  ILLEGAL TOUCHING OF A FORWARD PASS.

It is a foul for illegal touching if a forward pass (legal or illegal) thrown from behind the line of scrimmage:

(a) is first touched intentionally or is caught by an originally ineligible offensive player

Title: Re: Ineligible receiver catching the ball
Post by: will27 on September 27, 2016, 04:39:02 PM

Thanks.
It pays for O-linemen to know the rules.

Title: Re: Ineligible receiver catching the ball
Post by: ChicagoZebra on September 29, 2016, 10:29:30 AM

Isn't the subsequent slap down an intentional first touching by the ineligible offensive lineman?

Or does the first unintentional touching make this okay?  ???

Title: Re: Ineligible receiver catching the ball
Post by: WingOfficial on September 29, 2016, 02:18:05 PM

Quote from: ChicagoZebra on September 29, 2016, 10:29:30 AM

Isn't the subsequent slap down an intentional first touching by the ineligible offensive lineman?

Or does the first unintentional touching make this okay?  ???

Based on my reading of the rule APG cited, it would seem that the first touch was unintentional (the pass hits the back of his helmet), and so all subsequent touching is not deemed illegal.  (But if he had caught the ball, it would have been illegal)