The Blocked Punt

[MarcusRock]

Oh, you know the CONSPIRACY! crew will use this as "one of those obscure rules that always seems to bite Dallas in the butt" in their whiny spiels.

Rule doesn't benefit us = bad rule

 

[unionjack8]

If we got away from tge ball after tge block, it's our ball.
Lack of cerebral play, dumb players do dumb things

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

It’s a blatantly stupid rule that penalizes the team that made a great play. There’s simply no excuse for a rule that dumb.

I can’t say that because the Cowboys didn’t get the call. If the Cowboys don’t touch it then they’d get the ball. They failed to corale the ball so they should be punished.

 

[MWH1967]

Don't like the rule. It was the correct call. Its a luck rule. Didn't make enough for the first down but was touched.

 

[pansophy]

People keep saying horrible rule -- but what's the better rule? It's a punt -- if our guy can't handle the ball then he shouldn't have tried to grab it 8 feet in the air.

 

[BourbonBalz]

I can’t say that because the Cowboys didn’t get the call. If the Cowboys don’t touch it then they’d get the ball. They failed to corale the ball so they should be punished.

We’ll agree to disagree.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

The right call was made as far as the rule goes.
But thats a downright dumb rule.
Dallas makes a great play in blocking the kick. That doesnt happen often in any game.
Dallas never had possession of the ball.
Denver never made it to the first down line. How do they get rewarded for friggin up a punt and then not advancing to the first down line?
Thats a crazy azz rule

Lol, why is it a dumb rule? Because it happened to the Cowboys?

The ball went past the LOS scrimmage like a punt. The Cowboys player (N. Wright) touched the ball but failed to maintain possession, so it's a live ball.

End of story. It sucks because it seems like it would have been a momentum changer but it doesn't make it a dumb rule because it's consistently applied to all punts.

The 1st down marker has ZERO to do with it. You can keep referencing it but it doesn't matter.

 

[bsbellomy]

Why is it stupid?

If the receiving team touches the ball past the line of scrimmage it's a live ball. There's literally ZERO difference whether it's 10 yards past the LOS or 50 yards.

It should be similar to a QB fumble, if they recover they should still have to get the first down, because the possession never changed. It should NOT be treated like a muffed punt.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I just gotta ask. Why do these things always happen to us?

 

[DUO_CORE]

This rule must be on the same page as "the tuck" rule. Dumb!

 

[Killerinstinct]

Wright couldn't catch a soft floating ball.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Oh, you know the CONSPIRACY! crew will use this as "one of those obscure rules that always seems to bite Dallas in the butt" in their whiny spiels.

Rule doesn't benefit us = bad rule

I'll admit it was fair. It happened to us in 93 and it's the same thing. For some reason, we've never developed a code for the team when they block it to say stay away from the ball.

 

[pansophy]

People aren't thinking this through. There are all kinds of blocked punts, from barely grazing the ball to full-blown blocks where the ball goes backward. The rule has to handle all these scenarios.

If the punt gets blocked and doesn't get past the line of scrimmage then the Vikings would have had to get a 1st down. Since the punt still got past the line of scrimmage, it's a punt following the rules of any other punt. Our player touched the ball and couldn't hold on it to it. That's a live ball, end of story. It's not a bad rule but terrible judgment for our player to try to grab that ball out of mid-air like that.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

The fact that you don't have to get a 1st down needs to be adjusted. What if someone blocks the punt, and it hits off of someone's leg? Now all of a sudden it's an automatic first down for the punting team?

I'm not sure what the football move the rule is protecting in that instance.

If it goes past the LOS it's treated like any other punt.

We've seen punts 50 yards down the field that touch a player on the receiving team and ends up recovered by the punting team. You have to stop thinking the 1st down marker plays some sort of role in this. The LOS is the determining factor and the punt cleared the LOS.

 

[cowboysfan99]

People keep saying horrible rule -- but what's the better rule? It's a punt -- if our guy can't handle the ball then he shouldn't have tried to grab it 8 feet in the air.

The kicking team should at least have to recover or advance beyond the first down marker to retain possession.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

People aren't thinking this through. There are all kinds of blocked punts, from barely grazing the ball to full-blown blocks where the ball goes backward. The rule has to handle all these scenarios.

If the punt gets blocked and doesn't get past the line of scrimmage then the Vikings would have had to get a 1st down. Since the punt still got past the line of scrimmage, it's a punt following the rules of any other punt. Our player touched the ball and couldn't hold on it to it. That's a live ball, end of story. It's not a bad rule but terrible judgment for our player to try to grab that ball out of mid-air like that.

This guy gets it.

 

[pansophy]

The kicking team should at least have to recover or advance beyond the first down marker to retain possession.

If the punt didn't get past the LOS that's exactly what they would have had to do.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

The kicking team should at least have to recover or advance beyond the first down marker to retain possession.

Lol, why?

 

[pansophy]

This guy gets it.

The play was indicative of the whole day sadly.

 

[cowboysfan99]

Lol, why?

Because that’s my opinion. What if it’s deflected and goes forward as a line drive, bounces off a defender’s helmet who is 1-yard beyond the line of scrimmage, deflects all the way back to the punter who is immediately tackled 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and you reward the kicking team possession. That’s idiotic.