Pick Six Negated by IW

[bigjohn]

We saw a kid basically get an Interception for a TD return negated by an IW caused by goal line confusion.

If there wasn't the rule on kicks crossing the goal line, that kind of thing would be much less likely to happen.

[bama_stripes]

We saw a kid basically get an Interception for a TD return negated by an IW caused by goal line confusion.

If there wasn't the rule on kicks crossing the goal line, that kind of thing would be much less likely to happen.

I saw a kid intercept a pass & start running for an apparent TD which was negated by a teammate's obvious Block in the Back after the DB had already passed him.

If coaches would teach their kids to block legally, that kind of thing would be much less likely to happen.

[mbyron]

I don't believe the OP. I believe there was an IW, that the defense stopped playing, and that the kid ran all the way to the endzone. I just don't believe that the IW prevented an "interception for a TD return."

[mark in ok]

I'm having trouble understanding how an interception occurred on a kick.

[busman]

I don't think it did.  I think he is stating that officials sometime confuse a kick crossing the plane and a pass, and don't allow either to be returned out of the end zone.

[mark in ok]

First year official here, but so far I haven't had much trouble distinguishing the two.  Knock wood.

[AlUpstateNY]

Unfortunately, any IW is a mistake, and no matter how carefully any rule is written, a mistake can undo whatever precautions were intended.  Until we achieve consistent perfection, we're just going to have to contend with, hopefully very rare, mistakes.

[110]

First year official here, but so far I haven't had much trouble distinguishing the two.  Knock wood.

I saw a veteran NFHS white hat give this tip to a rookie - keep saying "it's a kick, it's a kick" during any free or scrimmage kick, until the kick is downed, splits the uprights, gets a possession, etc. I guess if you're saying "it's a kick" and the ball crosses the goal-line, you have a touchback. If it crosses the goal-line and it ain't a kick, it ain't a touchback.

[GAHSUMPIRE]

We saw a kid basically get an Interception for a TD return negated by an IW caused by goal line confusion.

If there wasn't the rule on kicks crossing the goal line, that kind of thing would be much less likely to happen.

big john, I am not disagreeing with you on the issue of goal line confusion, but I do have to question how the inadvertent whistle negated  a touchdown. The way I read your post,  the interception occurred in B's end zone, and was brought out. At some point, an IW occurred, but there are still (I'm guessing) about 90 or so yards to go before B scores. There's a lot of space for a lot of things to happen between where the ball was at the time of the IW, and the time the player gets to the end zone. You assume that no A player would catch up to B, that no B player would commit a foul during the run, etc.

The IW stopped a play on which B could have scored, but I don't think you can assume that he absolutely would have.

Again, I do agree with you on the basic issue about the end zone confusion, but like in baseball, you can't assume the double play, in this case, you cannot assume a touchdown.

[bigjohn]

pick occurred on an out to the wide side of the field, receiver fell down, No one close to db and he was by far the fastest kid on the field.  Now he may have run 20 yards and had a cramp or fell in a hole but nobody on the field would have caught him.

[AlUpstateNY]

Football is a game of opportunities, either siezed or missed, and often mistakes, either made or avoided and how responded to.  An IW is a mistake, just like a really inappropriate, or dumb, play call by a coach or poor execution by a player.

Football is a repetitive test of how well a team reacts, responds and overcomes the mistakes it has to confront.

[bigjohn]

That is deep!  My point is, this happens more than folks want to admit and it is because of the kick in the EZ rule that is very unnecessary.

Why should they not be allowed to run a kick out of the EZ?

[Radwaste50]

That is deep!  My point is, this happens more than folks want to admit and it is because of the kick in the EZ rule that is very unnecessary.

Why should they not be allowed to run a kick out of the EZ?

Because the coaches that write the rules don't want to let them do it

[Atlanta Blue]

Because the coaches that write the rules don't want to let them do it

Don't get in your mind that COACHES write the rules.  ADMINISTRATORS write the rules. 

I'm sure more of the administrators are former coaches than former officials, but that doesn't mean they are current coaches.  However I personally know at least three on the NFHS committee that are current or former officials.  While I don't know it, I'm betting there are very few CURRENT coaches on the committee.

Based on our informal polling, most current coaches would prefer being allowed to run kicks out of the end zone.  But it's not a high priority, becausae many of them don't have or see kickers that consistently put the ball into the end zone.