The Blocked Punt

[KingintheNorth]

Right call for exisiting rule but needs to be changed. A team should not be rewarded with a first down after having their punt blocked.

The blocked kick means the ball is no longer on it's normal trajectory, therfore the returning team simply touching it should not make it free game. It'd be a totally diffrent had Wright clearly recovered it and then fumbled it back.

 

[TexasHillbilly]

It was the right call, but an idiotic rule that needs to be changed. They should at least have to get beyond the 1st down marker.

It just wasn't our day. Murphy's law ruled.

 

[Flamma]

You are so right,Denver didn't advance it to the first down marker, therefore it should be Dallas ball.

No. It's a punt. If a team muffs a punt and the other team recovers, it's the other team's ball. It's like that with any punt. The first down marker is irrelevant.

Think of this. What if it was 4th and 40? It happens on rare occasions with multiple sacks and penalties. If the punter kicks it 38 yards and the guy fair catching it drops it and the kicking team recovers, who's ball is it? The kicking team's. This play was no different. It went over the LOS and we muffed it. The first down marker or the fact someone got a hand on it is irrelevant.

People are going crazy because our guy got a hand on it. That means nothing. It's the same as if the punter punted it straight up travelling 5 yards and a Cowboy muffing it. If Denver recovers it's Denver ball. The fact someone touched it as it was being kicked means nothing. No need to change anything.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree, had a Denver player touched it once it crossed the line of scrimmage the play would be dead but the 1st player to touch the ball after it crossed the line of scrimmage was Wright and the ball became a live ball at that point. I'm not blaming Wright for it, he reacted to the ball. That play just told me it was not going to be our day. When even good things turn out bad.

 

[pansophy]

Here's an honest question - if the Cowboys were the ones who had their punt blocked, and the Broncos muffed it one yard past the LOS, and the Cowboys recovered it and retained possession, would anyone be harping on how this was a bad rule?

I think we all know the answer to this.

Exactly this.

 

[pansophy]

Then they can tweak it to just if a player muffed or made contact with the ball, there is no penalty but if a player established possession and fumble, it is a live ball.

So basically you want a rule that makes that play work out for us.

 

[OmerV]

Right now what's the rule for a regular punt? If the guy muffs it and the other team recovered, it's the other team's ball. Same rule applies for any punt going over the LOS. Whether it's not blocked and goes 50 yards, tipped and goes 30 yards, or semi blocked and goes 5 yards. If you touch it, it's a live ball.

But that's well beyond the first down marker, and it's with an opportunity to make a decision to return, fair catch or back away before a crowd of people descends upon you.

As for being a live ball, again, I don't have a problem with that, I just don't think the need to advance beyond the 1st down yardage should fall out of the equation. To me the rule should be either party can recover, like it was a fumble, and if the punting team advances beyond the 1st down yardage the drive continues and if not the ball goes over on downs. It appeared that's how the players on both teams, the coaches and the announcers thought it worked and announcers had to have the ref expert explain otherwise.

This is just my belief on how the rule should work. It's okay if others disagree.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

So basically you want a rule that makes that play work out for us.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

But that's well beyond the first down marker, and it's with an opportunity to make a decision to return, fair catch or back away before a crowd of people descends upon you.

As for being a live ball, again, I don't have a problem with that, I just don't think the need to advance beyond the 1st down yardage should fall out of the equation. To me the rule should be either party can recover, like it was a fumble, and if the punting team advances beyond the 1st down yardage the drive continues and if not the ball goes over on downs. It appeared that's how the players on both teams, the coaches and the announcers thought it worked and announcers had to have the ref expert explain otherwise.

This is just my belief on how the rule should work. It's okay if others disagree.

I hear you bro.

Similarly, I think MLB hitters should have to get a hit fair-and-square if the opposing team is going to intentionally walk them.

 

[G2]

I think so. Since the object is to gain a first down within 4 attempts, I think they should have to get the ball past the first down marker. It's a moot point, since the rule so rarely comes into play, but it would make more sense to me to have them earn the first down, rather than just be lucky.

I think there should be a conversation. It's all about the line of scrimmage. If we were educated on this rare occurrence, instead of touching it, Wright could have let it go and it's awesome field position. So I get the way the rule is written.
Picture it being Dallas that got it kicked.
On the other hand, what do you change?

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

On the other hand, what do you change?

The rule as it is now it's considered a muff, however this is really a different situation than a muff by a returner. It's a bit of a chaotic situation with it being a partial block, the only change I can see would be to declare a blocked or tipped punt a dead ball after it passes the line of scrimmage. Ball is down where it touches the first player and receiving teams ball.

 

[Runwildboys]

I think there should be a conversation. It's all about the line of scrimmage. If we were educated on this rare occurrence, instead of touching it, Wright could have let it go and it's awesome field position. So I get the way the rule is written.
Picture it being Dallas that got it kicked.
On the other hand, what do you change?

All I think should change is going from the LoS to the first down marker. Everything else is fine.

 

[G2]

All I think should change is going from the LoS to the first down marker. Everything else is fine.

The way it is kind of seems like you're rewarding the team that was forced to kick. I bet they change it.

 

[Runwildboys]

The way it is kind of seems like you're rewarding the team that was forced to kick. I bet they change it.

That's what I was thinking. It's like giving them a do over. If they were to recover and get past the first down marker then okay, they earned a first down. I don't think they'll change it, simply because it hasn't happened much, at least not that I'm aware of.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

If they were to recover and get past the first down marker then okay, they earned a first down.

You would have to change the muff rule because kicking team cannot advance a muff.

 

[G2]

That's what I was thinking. It's like giving them a do over. If they were to recover and get past the first down marker then okay, they earned a first down. I don't think they'll change it, simply because it hasn't happened much, at least not that I'm aware of.

There's a couple things I don't quite understand about penalties, mainly because I haven't researched it. But just from a dumb guy on the couch point of view, the offense gets more of an advantage. I get it's more entertaining, but penalties are treated differently from offense to defense.

 

[conner01]

They touched it once and that's fine, but touch it twice and that changes everything. That rule should only take effect past the first down marker, IMO.

The touch (block) doesn’t matter in anything
It’s the touch beyond the LOS that matters and that touch equates to a procession so it’s just like he recovered it and fumbled it again
It’s exactly like the blocked FG that Leon Lett touched years ago against Miami when he tried to recover the blocked FG
Had the second touch been behind the LOS it wouldn’t have been a turnover, it’s just about the touch beyond the LOS
It’s basically a muffed punt at that point and the rules apply just like any other muffed punt
If it wasn’t blocked but just went say 20 yards then it would still be a muff if a player on the return team touched it, but if they or he had just let it go it would have been a dead ball where ever they recovered it even if that was beyond the line to gain
Think of it as the block doesn’t matter once it crosses the LOS, at that point blocked or not it’s just another punt

 

[Runwildboys]

You would have to change the muff rule because kicking team cannot advance a muff.

The rule would be the same as it is, except instead of the ball having to pass the Loss, it would have to pass the Yard to Gain line...or did they mark the ball where the Broncos gained possession, not where they advanced it to?

 

[conner01]

There's a couple things I don't quite understand about penalties, mainly because I haven't researched it. But just from a dumb guy on the couch point of view, the offense gets more of an advantage. I get it's more entertaining, but penalties are treated differently from offense to defense.

Many rules are geared toward the offense
But in this case it’s not really geared toward the offense since once we touched it past the LOS we are the offense in a sense because we are returning it
If you think of it has any other punt it does make sense
If a team punted a ball 10 yards and ran down and picked it up it’s a dead ball
Once it passes the LOS it’s just like any other punt and the block or tip of the ball is no longer a factor
It’s just like any other punt

 

[Canada180]

Listening to Stephen Jones, per 105.3 fan, I get the feeling that NFL league rules committee (to which Stephen is supposedly a member of ) will change this punt ruling in the offseason.
Too bad it has to haunt us as it is now.

But that's well beyond the first down marker, and it's with an opportunity to make a decision to return, fair catch or back away before a crowd of people descends upon you.

As for being a live ball, again, I don't have a problem with that, I just don't think the need to advance beyond the 1st down yardage should fall out of the equation. To me the rule should be either party can recover, like it was a fumble, and if the punting team advances beyond the 1st down yardage the drive continues and if not the ball goes over on downs. It appeared that's how the players on both teams, the coaches and the announcers thought it worked and announcers had to have the ref expert explain otherwise.

This is just my belief on how the rule should work. It's okay if others disagree.

Good points. Well taken
. A punt that travels 60 yds down the field has MUCH MUCH less chance of being inadvertently touched and becoming a live ball than one that goes 10 yds into a crowd of players along that line of scrimmage.

My opinion is that a blocked punt in that close proximity to said crowd of offensive and defensive players should take into account the sheer number of players around such blocked punts and when the ball is called dead behind the first down line, its receiving team ball at that point. The team blocking the punt should be rewarded for the good play and not have the play reversed because someone touched the ball in a huge crowd. For God sakes, the punt could bounce off some dudes helmet and cause a reversal.

Just my opinion.