The worst (most inconsistently enforced) rule ever

[GAHSUMPIRE]

I don't have a dog in the hunt, but watching the Saints Giants game.

Jimmy Graham just scored a touchdown in very much the same manner that the Bengals had denied last week.

Graham went down to the ground and lost the ball, nothing was ever mentioned or discussed about it. I don't expect much from the announcers- they are the worst there is- but I thought the officials would catch it.

What did I miss on this play that didn't happen on the Bengals play?

Enforce it consistently , or (better yet) get rid of that rule

[Welpe]

Do you have any videos? I haven't seen either play.

[golfingref]

Don't remember that play. Do you know what quarter it happened? The only one I remember similar, a Saint player possessed the ball in the field of play and then lost the ball after he had crossed the plane of the goal line. That has always been a TD.

[mbyron]

The only one I remember similar, a Saint player possessed the ball in the field of play and then lost the ball after he had crossed the plane of the goal line. That has always been a TD.

If it's the play I'm thinking of, that's exactly what happened. He was a runner diving across the goal line, not a receiver going to the ground in the process of making a catch. If a runner has possession and the ball crosses the plane of the goal line, it's a TD. Doesn't matter what happens after that.

[ECILLJ]

The Giants also had an illegal helmet contact penalty called on a Jimmy Graham tackle late in the game. It looked as if Graham fumbled the ball before he was on the ground but I didn't hear Gruden or Jaworski mention the fumble. They were to wrapped up in the illegal tackle that left Graham laying stunned on the ground. The penalty took the Saints half the distance to the goal line. Does the NFL assess that penalty from the spot of the foul?

[clearwall]

The situation in that game that had me scratching my head was when the Saints were driving in NYG territory, Brees threw a pass to his TE who was blasted in the head and bent over backwards. They threw the targeting penalty which I totally agreed with. Afterwards, that generated some scuffling and a Giant player shoved a Saint player which drew ANOTHER flag. However when the announcement came, they only announced PF Targ. So what was that other flag? If they waived it, why didnt they announce it as such?

[Hank]

The situation in that game that had me scratching my head was when the Saints were driving in NYG territory, Brees threw a pass to his TE who was blasted in the head and bent over backwards. They threw the targeting penalty which I totally agreed with. Afterwards, that generated some scuffling and a Giant player shoved a Saint player which drew ANOTHER flag. However when the announcement came, they only announced PF Targ. So what was that other flag? If they waived it, why didnt they announce it as such?

Agree completely.  That hit looked vicious.  Then it seemed like a Saint player was trying to move the Giants back and the Giants starting going off.  Looked like some sort of punch was thrown.  All while the Saint player writhed on the carpet.  Flag goes up ... and ... nothing.  What?

[HLinNC]

Not totally versed in NFL rules but is it considered a multiple foul situation, thus only one can be penalized?

[clearwall]

Nor am I, but live ball PF, dead ball PF...both are enforced.

Rule 14.9-- "If there has been a foul by either team during a down and there is a DBF by the other team in the action immediately after the end of the down, it is a double foul and all rules for enforcement apply"

[APG]

Nor am I, but live ball PF, dead ball PF...both are enforced.

Rule 14.9-- "If there has been a foul by either team during a down and there is a DBF by the other team in the action immediately after the end of the down, it is a double foul and all rules for enforcement apply"

The rule you quoted deals with a live ball foul by one team and a dead ball foul by the other team. That means the fouls will offset except for a couple of situations:

1.15 yard penalty vs. 5 yard only penalty and no change of possession on the play. The five yard penalty is disregarded and the 15 yard penalty is enforced from the previous spot (even on a scoring play).
2. If the dead ball foul is for delay of game for spiking the ball in the field of play, the offense can decline the penalty against it and have the delay of game enforced against them.
3. If the scoring team commits the dead ball penalty, the score counts, and the dead ball penalty is enforced on the kickoff.

The situation above would be a multiple foul situation and thus only one penalty can be enforced.

[clearwall]

I stand corrected then. I always have a hard time reading the NFL rules because theyre written in a fufferent format that i havent had any experience with. So you can never have two fouls enforced on the same team?

[APG]

I stand corrected then. I always have a hard time reading the NFL rules because theyre written in a fufferent format that i havent had any experience with. So you can never have two fouls enforced on the same team?

Yes, unless one of the penalties is a foul against a game official or if you have a defensive pass interference that is also a personal foul (player grabs and twists facemask to commit DPI).

[clearwall]

Well we were talking about a DBPF, would that not qualify?

[APG]

Well we were talking about a DBPF, would that not qualify?

I meant to say defensive pass interference that is also a personal foul. Sorry for the confusion.