GoBills808

If someone can find me just ONE example of a kickoff returner making the safe signal, catching the ball, and then handing it to the ref WITHOUT kneeling first I will never speak of this again.

Sorry I keep jumping around lmao

I think technically it should be written like this: (e) (i)when a runner is out of bounds, or (ii)declares himself down by falling to the ground, or kneeling, and making no effort to advance

Here are the new kickoff rules. They're not relevant to this discussion. https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/kickoff-rules/

He didn't signal fair catch. This is the point. Fair catch is a legally defined motion, arm waving above head. He would have absolutely been within his right to take a few steps and then start running, as evidenced by Greg Olsen who saw Devin Hester do the exact thing:

AND no desire to advance

Greg Olsen thinks so

If he hadn't caught it I agree. If he let's it bounce in endzone it's deadball on the spot. But once he catches it he has to down it himself because it's live and he's a runner at that point. And safe signal isn't recognized as of now by the league as a way of giving yourself up.

Just for argument's sake...I just think it's a good discussion. Once you catch a kickoff, you have the option to return it or down it in the endzone. Downing the ball requires a knee (or other body part) on the ground, or a fair catch signal. Those are the only acceptable ways to down a caught kickoff. The guy didn't do either. Instead he gave airplane arms, took a couple steps forward and tossed the ball toward the ref.

They didn't get the call right. He knee never hit the ground.

Probably wouldn't have felt better about the call cause I think I have it right, but at least I would have felt better about the process because it would have involved the normal procedure and not the men in black coming in from the cold dispensing judgement.

I am less outraged than incredulous tbh. I thought scoring plays (and turnovers for that matter) required video replay confirmation. Certainly overturning a called TD requires video replay. The process that immediately followed the play was unique to my years of watching pro football.

Well when you go 5 wide with Pat Dimarco and Lee Smith on the same side you become real easy to defend

Yes I agree I've seen that when the returner lets the ball hit the ground, but I have never seen the guy catch it and toss it back to the ref w/out kneeling first.

No offense but this is completely wrong. Dimarco did not draw a double to free anyone up; as a matter of fact having him run a go and Lee Smith a post on the same side of the play allowed one safety to cover both since neither are real receiving threats. Everyone else got swallowed up. That is horrible play design.

No. He was lined up outside and ran a go from the jump- And in case you're wondering about play design, consider the deep post here is being run by none other than Lee Smith

Kneeling is not so onerous. The airplane arms safe signal hasn't made its way into the rulebook yet. Specific to this play, taking a knee (or other qualifying body part) or less commonly signaling fair catch would be the acceptable (and only) ways to signal no return.

Would love to see tape, cause I haven't It just seems like there's a simple set of rules in place that govern exactly the protocol to follow...and it wasn't. I mean, that's the whole reason the rules exist- so you don't have to worry about intent.

Yeh it does. I can't remember return man catching the ball and handing it to the ref w/out kneeling first and I watch a ton of NFL...maybe someone has some video to the contrary but I haven't seen it yet

You really want a common sense doctrine from the guys who couldn't figure out what a catch was for the better part of a decade?

To give yourself up you have to kneel or slide or have some other body part hit the deck. He could have fair caught it also. Or just not caught the ball in the first place. But since he did catch it he needs to give himself up and according to the rules he did not.

Mmm I thought it was borderline in game but Newton never gets this call and Allen probably won't for his career trajectory. However unfair that may be Now Clowney's hit on Wentz: THAT was 100% unnecessary roughness. And probably warranted more than 15 yards tbh

This is totally ridiculous. As if we'd ever have the lead on the Patriots before things get weird.

But on the plus side, we've established a very safe, very inclusive non-binary policy toward downing kickoffs, so there's that.

Arguing for 'common sense' when there's a rule in place like