IW During Play w/PSK Foul

[Curious]

First, let me preference the following post by saying I have yet to receive my 2014 Rule and Case Books; so if the situations have been corrected, I apologize.  Anyway, here goes...

RE: Case Book Play 4.2.3E (pg 36 in 2013 Book):

PLAY: “K 4/12 on R 45. Punt is rolling at R 16 when IW sounded. R76 blocks K84 in the back on R’s 22 during the down prior to the whistle. RULING: If the penalty is accepted, it is enforced from the previous spot as K would not be next to put the ball in play.  If declined, the IW during the loose ball play dictates a replay of the down.

References: 2-16-2h; 4-2-2j; 4-2-3a,d; 6-2-7; 10-4-3

I believe this is an incorrect ruling based on the following analysis; and should be enforced as a PSK foul if accepted.

1.   This IS technically a “loose ball play” – but not for penalty enforcement purposes. 2-33-1a actually   says: …”action during a free or scrimmage kick OTHER THAN POST-SCRIMMAGE KICK FOULS”.

2.   PSK Foul Requirements (2-16h):
        a. Be other than a try or successful FG
        b. Be during a scrimmage kick which crosses the ENZ
        c. Occur beyond the ENZ
        d. Occur before the end of the kick
        e. K will NOT be next to put the ball in play

3.   Rule 4-2-2j says: “The ball becomes dead….when a game official sounds his/her whistle” inadvertently.  The kick therefore ends by rule: 2-24-2 says: “A kick ends when a player gains possession or when the ball becomes dead while not in player possession”.

4.   4-2-3a says: “An IW ends the down…and (is administered) shall be replayed if, during a down or during a down in which a penalty for a foul is DECLINED, an IW is sounded while a legal forward pass or snap is in flight, or during a legal kick”.

5.   4-2-3d says: “An IW shall be administered as determined by the basic spot and takes precedence over an IW if, during a down a foul occurs prior to the IW and the penalty is accepted”.

6.   6-2-7 says: When a scrimmage kick is OOB or becomes dead between the goal lines with no player in possession…..the ball is awarded to R…unless R chooses a spot of first touching”. 

7.    Rule   10-4-3 says: “The basic spot is the spot where the kick ends when R commits a PSK foul…”. 

So, either this:
A. is the dumbest ruling ever or;
B. is based on 10-4-2c WHICH IS NOT EVEN REFERENCED!  That rule says:  “The basic spot (is the   previous spot) for a foul which occurs during a down in which a legal kick occurs and an IW ends the down prior to possession by either team”.  However, given all the contradicting references above, 10-4-2c seems to be a hold-over from the pre-PSK days.  Wouldn’t it be better worded as: “…the basic spot is (the previous spot) for an accepted foul by K or a non-PSK foul by R…” or;
       C. The Case Book Play itself was meant to support a PSK enforcement and was just botched royally in its wording and totally missed in editing.

What am I missing?

[Ralph Damren]

In the case, the kick hadn't ended when the eager tweeter sounded his horn.This would be a challenge to locate the spot for the football , if the kick was still sailing when the IW occurred. Previous spot seemed as the only reasonable enforcement spot - granted , a rolling punt might make it easy to guesstimate where the ball was BUT a airborne punt would not. If you go to the 2012 Case Book, you'll notice the same case number with PSK results. In 2013 the concern of this occurring during an airborne kick was discussed and the case rewritten for 2013 and remains the same for 2014.  PS: The eager tweeter should be responsible for the first round at the post game review !!

[Curious]

Okay, I get the perceived difficulty in determining the exact end of a kick in flight; but I still have some questions/comments:

Why not differentiate in the rule between a grounded and "in flight" kick?

And,

Why not utilize the officials' best estimate (bean bag, etc)?  I know it's impossible to be totally equitable when these unfortunate errors occur; but "close" would be more equitable for R without disadvantaging K (K did, after all, voluntarily give up the ball).  Also, with the current enforcement, K gains a tremendous advantage (a 1st down in most instances, I would guess) by getting the R foul assessed from the previous spot.

Why does this CB play not reference 10-4-2c instead of 10-4-3?

The "whistle happy" official would definitely be buying and, then, most likely be looking for another crew after he pays!

Respectfully submitted this day: 21 July 2014
Douglas Niedermaier, Sgt at Arms

[HLinNC]

Read 2e under PSK again.  This play is not PSK.  Loose ball play, previous spot enforcement, K will be putting the ball in play.

[Ralph Damren]

Okay, I get the perceived difficulty in determining the exact end of a kick in flight; but I still have some questions/comments:

Why not differentiate in the rule between a grounded and "in flight" kick?

And,

Why not utilize the officials' best estimate (bean bag, etc)?  I know it's impossible to be totally equitable when these unfortunate errors occur; but "close" would be more equitable for R without disadvantaging K (K did, after all, voluntarily give up the ball).  Also, with the current enforcement, K gains a tremendous advantage (a 1st down in most instances, I would guess) by getting the R foul assessed from the previous spot.

Why does this CB play not reference 10-4-2c instead of 10-4-3?

The "whistle happy" official would definitely be buying and, then, most likely be looking for another crew after he pays!

Respectfully submitted this day: 21 July 2014
Douglas Niedermaier, Sgt at Arms

Having a different enforcement for a rolling kick vs an airborne kick was considered, but the feeling was it would overcomplicate an extremely rare situation and up would come the question : "What about a kick that took very big bounces ??" If my memory serves me correctly, Douglas Niedermaier was shot by his own troops in Vietnam . Glad to see that you survived, Sgt. Niedermaier !!!

[VALJ]

If the foul is declined, who is the next team to put the ball in play after the IW?

[Ralph Damren]

If the foul is declined, who is the next team to put the ball in play after the IW?

Under the IW , you would replay the down (4-2-3a).

[Curious]

Having a different enforcement for a rolling kick vs an airborne kick was considered, but the feeling was it would overcomplicate an extremely rare situation and up would come the question : "What about a kick that took very big bounces ??" If my memory serves me correctly, Douglas Niedermaier was shot by his own troops in Vietnam . Glad to see that you survived, Sgt. Niedermaier !!!

Ralph, Niedermaier here (rumors of my demise were vastly overstated).

"Overcomplicate..."? 

Even when we have a running play or a fumble followed by an IW, we still have to bean bag the best-guess/approximation of where the runner was at the time or of the fumble/whistle.  Why would the committee think this (the punt) might be so much more difficult?  It seems 10-4-2c itself really "overcomplicates" things by contradicting so many other rules - not to mention the significant disadvantage to the receivers.  

[Rulesman]

Ralph, Niedermaier here (rumors of my demise were vastly overstated).

"Overcomplicate..."? 
 - not to mention the significant disadvantage to the receivers.

Don't blow the whistle until you see the ball dead by rule twice and you won't put the receivers at a significant disadvantage. Pretty simple to me. Too many officials are too anxious to blow their whistle too quickly. I've never really understood why, either.

[VALJ]

Under the IW , you would replay the down (4-2-3a).

Precisely!  So in this situation, R will not be the next to put the ball in play (2-16-2-h-5).  Since that's the case, the foul is by definition not a PSK foul.  Go back to the previous spot, march off the penalty, and replay the down.

[Ralph Damren]

Note that there is a typo in the case ; "If accepted,the penalty is enforced from the previous spot as K would not be next to put the ball in play." IMHO (and that of KWH) ,it should be tweaked to : (1) "....R would not be next..."; or (2) Where the kick hadn't ended when the IW caused it to become dead, no PSK enforcement spot would be available.