Author Topic: Touchback  (Read 4043 times)

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younggun

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Touchback
« on: August 20, 2014, 08:28:21 AM »
We had this come up in discussion the other day. The problem is where do we spot the ball.

Free Kick: A kicks off and B possesses the ball in the EZ.
A) B fumbles in the EZ and ball goes OOB in the EZ.
 
B) B comes out of EZ with ball fumbles A picks it up, runs for 5 yards and fumbles forward into B's EZ and OOB.

We came up with 25 yard line for play A and 20 yard line for play B.

Any ARs that have come out to support this? The rule just says 'free kick'. Some argued that it should be anytime there is a 25 yard TB if there is a TB on a Free Kick 'down'.

Offline Andrew McCarthy

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Re: Touchback
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2014, 09:49:38 AM »
We came up with 25 yard line for play A and 20 yard line for play B.
This is what I would have done.

8-6-2 implies we go to the 25 yard line only if the impetus is the free kick.

Offline Joe Stack

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Re: Touchback
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2014, 09:36:10 PM »
The intent of the rule is to encourage Team B to stay in the end zone and take the touchback if there is any doubt about whether he can get 25 yards -- thus decreasing returns and ideally injuries. Once he brings it out and fumbles, all that goes away.

A better scenario here, in my view, might be something along the lines of the Team B player, in the end zone, muffs the kick, which comes out to the field of play where a Team A player tries to possess it but also muffs it, and it goes back into the end zone and OOB. You have a touchback because its still a kick and the impetus hasn't changed, but is it a touchback envisioned by this rule??