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

[OmerV]

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.

Not the same situation because in that case the ball would have travelled past the yardage needed for a 1st down.

 

[RonnieT24]

Not the same situation because in that case the ball would have travelled past the yardage needed for a 1st down.

Exactly.. getting a first down after what amounts to a 7 yard punt is just wrong and IMHO violates the spirit of the rule. But as several have stated, it won't change until it screws one of their favored teams in the playoffs..

 

[Brax]

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

Look at it because it went against the Cowboys? The rule has been this way for at least the last 60 odd years.

 

[Brax]

Exactly.. getting a first down after what amounts to a 7 yard punt is just wrong and IMHO violates the spirit of the rule. But as several have stated, it won't change until it screws one of their favored teams in the playoffs..

It wasn't the punt distance it was the fact a Cowboy touched it beyond the LOS making it a live ball , no difference you guys can't be this dense, it has been this way sense the 60"s if not longer. This is one of the first rules you learn if you play ST at any level.

 

[mrmojo]

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.

That happens on a regular punt too, sometimes a blocker for the receiving team gets hit by the punt 40 yards down field, and thats considered a live ball that the kicking team can recover. Same thing applies here because the punt still went beyond the LOS, whether blocked/tipped or not.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

It wasn't the punt distance it was the fact a Cowboy touched it beyond the LOS making it a live ball , no difference you guys can't be this dense, it has been this way sense the 60"s if not longer. This is one of the first rules you learn if you play ST at any level.

You severely underestimate some of the posters here.

 

[OmerV]

Exactly.. getting a first down after what amounts to a 7 yard punt is just wrong and IMHO violates the spirit of the rule. But as several have stated, it won't change until it screws one of their favored teams in the playoffs..

I agree, this absolutely feels like a rule that would be widely criticized and subsequently changed if it played a role in the outcome of a playoff game.

 

[OmerV]

That happens on a regular punt too, sometimes a blocker for the receiving team gets hit by the punt 40 yards down field, and thats considered a live ball that the kicking team can recover. Same thing applies here because the punt still went beyond the LOS, whether blocked/tipped or not.

You are missing the difference that when it happens 40 yards downfield it is well past the point the punting team needed to get for a 1st down.

 

[Captain-Crash]

It wasn't the punt distance it was the fact a Cowboy touched it beyond the LOS making it a live ball, no difference you guys can't be this dense, it has been this way since the 60"s if not longer. This is one of the first rules you learn if you play ST at any level.

I guess the defense needs to quit trying to block the punts if guys can't figure out the rules. sheesh.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

You are missing the difference that when it happens 40 yards downfield it is well past the point the punting team needed to get for a 1st down.

 

[RonnieT24]

It wasn't the punt distance it was the fact a Cowboy touched it beyond the LOS making it a live ball , no difference you guys can't be this dense, it has been this way sense the 60"s if not longer. This is one of the first rules you learn if you play ST at any level.

Well I only ever was the returner so if I touched the ball it was generally 40 yards downfield. I know what the rule says.. I just think it's a bad rule. And would think the same if it worked in the Cowboys' favor. No team should be rewarded for failing like that. It's like the illegal formation penalty on offense that negates an interception by the defense. I hate that one too. If they didn't stop the play then the result of the play should count.

 

[Brax]

Well I only ever was the returner so if I touched the ball it was generally 40 yards downfield. I know what the rule says.. I just think it's a bad rule. And would think the same if it worked in the Cowboys' favor. No team should be rewarded for failing like that. It's like the illegal formation penalty on offense that negates an interception by the defense. I hate that one too. If they didn't stop the play then the result of the play should count.

Guess we look at differently, the one who failed was the Cowboy who tried and grab it to be a hero if he could score. I think it's a good rule, as for the illegal formation it wouldn't negate the interception as the team would decline it, it would negate a pass completion and rightfully so.

 

[RonnieT24]

Guess we look at differently, the one who failed was the Cowboy who tried and grab it to be a hero if he could score. I think it's a good rule, as for the illegal formation it wouldn't negate the interception as the team would decline it, it would negate a pass completion and rightfully so.

I may be fuzzy but I thought illegal formation was one of those weird ones that could not be declined. But maybe they changed it since the last time that scenario played out. Which has been a good while.. I don't blame Wright for trying to grab the ball. If you have been playing ball your whole life and the ball whizzes into your view your instinct is going to be to grab it. That football is the THING you're after in this whole silly game.. It's ingrained .. Yes he could have avoided it.. but it was a bang bang play and he tried to make one. As the old saying goes, the only people who have never failed are the people who have never tried.

 

[Kevinicus]

Well I only ever was the returner so if I touched the ball it was generally 40 yards downfield. I know what the rule says.. I just think it's a bad rule. And would think the same if it worked in the Cowboys' favor. No team should be rewarded for failing like that. It's like the illegal formation penalty on offense that negates an interception by the defense. I hate that one too. If they didn't stop the play then the result of the play should count.

It's your perception that's flawed here.

They weren't rewarded for failing, the Cowboys had consequences for failing.

 

[Diehardblues]

Look at it because it went against the Cowboys? The rule has been this way for at least the last 60 odd years.

I thought they said this rule was implemented as a result of the fumbling rule changes made in 1980’s or 90’s or was it the Leon Lett deal? Maybe that was last time we’d seen the rule imposed? They said when it was done. I forgot but it was more current than 60 years ago I believe.

 

[Rockport]

Look at it because it went against the Cowboys? The rule has been this way for at least the last 60 odd years.

I don't care if the rule has been there since Christ was a Cpl. a team that blocks a punt should not be punished because of it.

 

[Diehardblues]

I don't care if the rule has been there since Christ was a Cpl. a team that blocks a punt should not be punished because of it.

Technically once the ball crossed the LOS and we touched it’s considered a change of possession which if we had recovered it would have been our ball.

No doubt it was an obscure event rarely seen. And very rarely do you see a blocked punt go beyond the LOS and or not recovered by the blocking team.

I think rewarding them with a first down after change of possession since they didn’t cross the line to gain was most frustrating.

 

[Rockport]

Technically once the ball crossed the LOS and we touched it’s considered a change of possession which if we had recovered it would have been our ball.

No doubt it was an obscure event rarely seen. And very rarely do you see a blocked punt go beyond the LOS and or not recovered by the blocking team.

I think rewarding them with a first down after change of possession since they didn’t cross the line to gain was most frustrating.

I'm not arguing it wasn't the correct call. I'm arguing that the rule is stupid and needs changed.

 

[Diehardblues]

It's your perception that's flawed here.

They weren't rewarded for failing, the Cowboys had consequences for failing.

Yea, the lesson learned is that if a blocked punt goes beyond the LOS, don’t touch it unless you can recover it.

 

[Diehardblues]

I'm not arguing it wasn't the correct call. I'm arguing that the rule is stupid and needs changed.

It’s a rule I’d want to make sure everyone is aware of. Once you block a kick if it bounces beyond the LOS don’t touch it unless you can recover it.