Fumble in the endzone rule

#1
SayNoToJorts

SayNoToJorts

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#1
As we all know, a forward fumble through the endzone and out of bounds results in a turnover and a touchback. This rule obviously helped us out vs. aTm. After thinking about it, this may be one of the strangest rules in football and needs to be changed IMO.

While this rule obviously helped us last week, it has hurt us in the past (2005/Anderson/Alabama and 2013/Pig Howard/UGA come to mind).

If the ball were fumbled out of bounds anywhere else on the field, it would go back to the team who last had possession of it (which makes total sense). It seems asinine to me that a team is rewarded with possession if they didn't actually recover it. IMO it should be placed on the 1 yd line or back at the spot of the fumble with no possession change. I'm sure some of you will disagree but thought it would be a fun topic to debate...
 
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#3
#3
I understand your frustration with the rule but there are inconsistent areas of the field all where different actions have different results.

On a kick or punt if you take a knee in the your own end zone it's a touchback but if you were to get tackled our run backwards out of your own end zone it's a safety.
 
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#4
#4
I like it. It makes ball security in the red zone much more crucial.

I definitely dislike giving it to them at the 1. Thats almost rewarding the fumble.
 
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#5
#5
Speaking of fumbles, let's go back to the one near the goalline that Dobbs tried to pick up. The A&M player scoops it up, backtracks into the endzone, then tries to come out but is tackled in the endzone. They get the ball at the two. The explanation given was that they get the ball at the spot of the fumble.

Now, say the ball was at midfield. Same thing happens. No way they would've gotten the ball at the 50. The play, momentum, whatever, caused him to lose two yards.


I'm having a hard time understanding the difference.
 
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#6
#6
Vol_til_I_die said:
Speaking of fumbles, let's go back to the one near the goalline that Dobbs tried to pick up. The A&M player scoops it up, backtracks into the endzone, then tries to come out but is tackled in the endzone. They get the ball at the two. The explanation given was that they get the ball at the spot of the fumble.
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Did they rule that A&M took over at the spot of the fumble, or did they rule forward progress? I honestly don't remember. I definitely don't think the spot of the fumble would have been the correct application of the rule.
 
#8
#8
Vol_til_I_die said:
Speaking of fumbles, let's go back to the one near the goalline that Dobbs tried to pick up. The A&M player scoops it up, backtracks into the endzone, then tries to come out but is tackled in the endzone. They get the ball at the two. The explanation given was that they get the ball at the spot of the fumble.

Now, say the ball was at midfield. Same thing happens. No way they would've gotten the ball at the 50. The play, momentum, whatever, caused him to lose two yards.


I'm having a hard time understanding the difference.
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They said his momentum carried him into the endzone.
 
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#9
#9
We lost a very painful game to Bama fumbling into and through the back of the endzone.

Was it Arian Foster in 2006 @ Bama? I believe I was sitting in that corner as it happened. Painful!!!
 
#13
#13
bamawriter said:
Did they rule that A&M took over at the spot of the fumble, or did they rule forward progress? I honestly don't remember. I definitely don't think the spot of the fumble would have been the correct application of the rule.
Click to expand...

I could've sworn I heard Gary say (I know, I know) that they get it at the spot of the fumble. I didn't hear an official make a ruling on it. I probably was tuning everything out at that point.
 
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#16
#16
bamawriter said:
Did they rule that A&M took over at the spot of the fumble, or did they rule forward progress? I honestly don't remember. I definitely don't think the spot of the fumble would have been the correct application of the rule.
Click to expand...

A&M player picked it up at about the 1/2 yard line and retreated to about a yard and a half into the endzone where he was tackled ...... and iirc, the refs put the ball at the 2 yard line for TAM's offense. Still kinda scratching my head on that one.
 
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#21
#21
DEFENDTHISHOUSE said:
Too many rule changes happening already. I like it the way it is.
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The current rule makes the most sense. If one remembers who has possession the ball before it went into the end zone, then the rule is consistant. If you are the last person to have possession of the ball when goes into the end zone before going out of bounds, either on the side line or the back end of the end zone, it is a touchback and the ball goes to the defense at the 20 yard line. If it recovered within the end zone by the offense it is a touchdown. If it is recovered in the end zone by the defense, it is a touchback. When Foreman knocked the ball out of the runner's hand, he was the last to have possession of the ball in bounds. If the ball had stayed in the end zone and the ball carrier recovered it, it would have been a touchdown. If a Tennessee had recovered the ball in the end zone, it would have been a touchback.

I think/hope it got all of this correct.
 
#22
#22
Vol_til_I_die said:
Speaking of fumbles, let's go back to the one near the goalline that Dobbs tried to pick up. The A&M player scoops it up, backtracks into the endzone, then tries to come out but is tackled in the endzone. They get the ball at the two. The explanation given was that they get the ball at the spot of the fumble.

Now, say the ball was at midfield. Same thing happens. No way they would've gotten the ball at the 50. The play, momentum, whatever, caused him to lose two yards.


I'm having a hard time understanding the difference.
Click to expand...

I have heard a good many different "experts" say it should have been a safety because it had already been tipped by a player on his team. And if he would have been first player to touch it, it would have been a touchback, but there was no momentum or stop of progress to put it at the 2..

The refs were horrible that game no matter how you look at it...
 
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#23
#23
ImportedVoL said:
I have heard a good many different "experts" say it should have been a safety because it had already been tipped by a player on his team. And if he would have been first player to touch it, it would have been a touchback, but there was no momentum or stop of progress to put it at the 2..

The refs were horrible that game no matter how you look at it...
Click to expand...

Too many turnovers cost us the game. I'm confident that has been fixed.

Plan B all the way to Tampa.
 
#24
#24
SayNoToJorts said:
As we all know, a forward fumble through the endzone and out of bounds results in a turnover and a touchback. This rule obviously helped us out vs. aTm. After thinking about it, this may be one of the strangest rules in football and needs to be changed IMO.

While this rule obviously helped us last week, it has hurt us in the past (2005/Anderson/Alabama and 2013/Pig Howard/UGA come to mind).

If the ball were fumbled out of bounds anywhere else on the field, it would go back to the team who last had possession of it (which makes total sense). It seems asinine to me that a team is rewarded with possession if they didn't actually recover it. IMO it should be placed on the 1 yd line or back at the spot of the fumble with no possession change. I'm sure some of you will disagree but thought it would be a fun topic to debate...
Click to expand...

If a ball is fumbled and goes out of bounds, you place the ball where it goes out of bounds. Obviously, you can't place the ball in the end zone. You have two options, treat it like a touchback, or treat it like a touchdown. Why the heck would you treat it like a touchdown?

You can't just place it on the 1, because that's inconsistent with the fumble rule on other parts of the field. The rule is right, IMO.
 
#25
#25
Volumnus 2011 said:
If a ball is fumbled and goes out of bounds, you place the ball where it goes out of bounds. Obviously, you can't place the ball in the end zone. You have two options, treat it like a touchback, or treat it like a touchdown. Why the heck would you treat it like a touchdown?

You can't just place it on the 1, because that's inconsistent with the fumble rule on other parts of the field. The rule is right, IMO.
Click to expand...

One of the options I think works best would be giving the ball back at the spot of the fumble since you are not allowed forward progress on a fumble (unless they recently changed that rule, not sure but it used to be that way).
 
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