News: DC: Jerry Jones: Odd To See Rules Reward 'Bad Plays'

[Captain-Crash]

So, you don't think a fumbled punt should be called a fumble?

yep, some simple brains in here. it becomes a fumble once he touches it. if people want to cry, cry about the idiot touching the ball. sheesh.. where's the caveman when you need him.

 

[Aviano90]

NFL should just make a rule to where the Cowboys always win.

 

[Captain-Crash]

you don't have to have possession of a punt to be called a fumble, you just have to touch it. sheesh. where's the caveman at?

all the refs did was reward the offense because of the defender's stupid play, of touching the ball.

 

[Captain-Crash]

no wonder we haven't won crap in 25 years with this old senile cheerleader running the team. sheehs

 

[nalam]

a block punt that hits a defensive player should just be dead on the spot.

I have been saying the same thing , it is stupid , that it goes beyond LOS it becomes a live ball and if it touches one more defensive player , it is muffed and offense can recover it but cant advance it , too much complexity.

 

[plymkr]

a block punt that hits a defensive player should just be dead on the spot.

I agree, or they should change the rule to the team that blocked the punt has to possess the ball and make a "football move" and then lose the ball for the kicking team to recover and receive a 1st down. In the chaos of a blocked punt the ball can graze a players leg or bounce weird and hit a player and then it's a free for all. Then like Jerry stated the kicking team is rewarded for making a bad play with a lucky bounce.

 

[Bullflop]

I won't be surprised if Jerry brings that issue to the Rules Committee in the future.
If so, it could prove to be somewhat intriguing to see what might come of it.

I don't doubt, for a minute, that there's sane arguments to be made on both sides.

 

[Rockport]

On punts, you don't have to control it. Think about it, Rocky, a punt returner does not control the ball when he fumbles. This was simply a fumbled punt return.

There is zero reason to change this rule.

We can agree to disagree.

 

[kskboys]

I think it is incorrect to call that a fumble, he never had possession.

I know it is considered a muff but this is a very different thing that a traditional muff. I don't think it would be wrong to have different rules for a blocked punt.

But, it's not. It is a muffed punt, exactly the same.

 

[kskboys]

We can agree to disagree.

Simple rules.

 

[Cowboy-33]

Yeah, a blocked punt bounces all over the place . Usually bounces backwards but sometimes like this it goes forward. A defensive player doesn’t have to “bobble” the ball, it can just bounce off their foot or leg without them knowing (if they’re past the line of scrimmage). Completely penalizes a team for trying to make a great special teams play.

 

[Brax]

Just because a rule is simple doesn't make it any less stupid. Handing the team the ball back after failing to execute the punt worth a damn. The catch rule used to be simple .. two feet down with the ball.. and they got the bright idea to change that one.. You overestimate this league..

It's a live ball when touched past the LOS and because it's a live ball and a change of possession at that point who ever recovers it has a first down not stupid at all, it how it has always been stop whining even NW new he screwed up. It's not a stupid rule just a stupid take on your part.

 

[blueblood70]

So, you're saying take muffed punts out of the game?

no that has zero to do with blocked punt situation, sty focused..BTW the muff is typically done by the actual punt returner who is attempting to catch the punt not by an up guy who got in the path of blacked punt..hard to understand?

 

[Adreme]

Yeah, a blocked punt bounces all over the place . Usually bounces backwards but sometimes like this it goes forward. A defensive player doesn’t have to “bobble” the ball, it can just bounce off their foot or leg without them knowing (if they’re past the line of scrimmage). Completely penalizes a team for trying to make a great special teams play.

Except there is a reason that one of the first times it happened was a Cowboy actively trying to touch the ball because it just doesn’t happen otherwise.

A muffed punt is a muffed punt. Players have gotten a finger on the ball and it still travels 40 yards and it still on the receiving team to catch the ball.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

no that has zero to do with blocked punt situation, sty focused..BTW the muff is typically done by the actual punt returner who is attempting to catch the punt not by an up guy who got in the path of blacked punt..hard to understand?

You know that is not even entirely accurate blue. We’ve all seen punts bounce and inadvertently hit someone other than the PR on the receiving team in the leg or back trying to block for the return.

There is nothing in the rulebook that mandates the punt returner being the only guy that can “muff” the punt.

 

[Rockport]

It's a live ball when touched past the LOS and because it's a live ball and a change of possession at that point who ever recovers it has a first down not stupid at all, it how it has always been stop whining even NW new he screwed up. It's not a stupid rule just a stupid take on your part.

No, it’s a stupid rule and sure to be looked at during the off-season.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Yeah, a blocked punt bounces all over the place . Usually bounces backwards but sometimes like this it goes forward. A defensive player doesn’t have to “bobble” the ball, it can just bounce off their foot or leg without them knowing (if they’re past the line of scrimmage). Completely penalizes a team for trying to make a great special teams play.

I keep seeing this appeal to “it penalizes a team for making a great play (blocked punt).”

Rules/penalties should not be predicated on some arbitrary value being assigned to a play. The rules are black and white. There should be no consideration of “meh, you guys sorta messed up, but that was one heck of a play” in the rulebook.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

But, it's not. It is a muffed punt, exactly the same.

The rule is the same, but the actual play is very different.

A traditional muff is by a returner who is around 50 yards downfield and has time to judge where the ball is going and adjust accordingly. This block is a ball careening wildly with no time to adjust accordingly. Most likely that ball would have hit a player regardless the way it was heading.

I have not seen, in my opinion, a good reason for a blocked or tipped punt to be ruled the same way as a normal downfield punt. Two very different situations. Rules for a tipped pass are different, should be the same for a blocked or tipped punt.

 

[Captain-Crash]

lmao, wow I guess punts need to be removed. If a punt is tipped and travels past the line of scrimmage and goes 40 yards downfield and is muffed or fumbled by the receiving team and lost to the kicking team we should review this next year too. we should just give the ball to the receiving team no matter what happens. let's do away with fumbles. oh my, you can't make this crap up.

 

[OmerV]

Wasn't it Denver's ball because Nashon Wright touched it after the block? If so, the rules weren't rewarding Denver for a bad play, they were punishing Wright for one. If he had not touched it, it would have been our ball. Because he bobbled it, it was their ball.

That's how the rule works, but looking at the play ….

1. Denver failed to get a first down.
2. Denver's line failed on the punt attempt and Denver got their punt blocked.
3. The Cowboys never took possession so it wasn't a fumble (although the rule treats it as such).
4. Denver got a 1st down without ever having to gain the yardage to do so.

Further, under this rule it wouldn't even take a Cowboy attempting to recover the ball for it to work out this way. For example, if the blocked punt shot off into a mass of players just across the line of scrimmage and inadvertently hit a Cowboy first then Denver could jump on the ball and get a 1st down by nothing more than pure luck. I'm not a fan of a rule that makes it possible to gain a 1st down without having to earn it.