Suudy or any other rules "expert"...
- Thread starter 79COUG
- Start date
Gracias...
What if the catch is made say at the back or side of the endzone...similar feet and ball placement?
That’s the magic bullet exception to the rule. Due to the unique skill of the QB, it’s a TD.
Bend it like Minshew.
Interesting. I see so many touchdowns where the receiver shows great body control to keep his feet in bounds and stretches to catch a ball a yard outside of the endzone.
KingTrump
Varsity
Key point is the plane of the goal line is extended up and out "infinitely". But that extension applies only when the player is on the ground. So considering that case where the receiver leans out of bounds but has a foot in bounds, the ball passed through the plane of the goal line at some point.
Consider another case where a runner is going down the sideline. If he stretches and the ball breaks the plane outside the pylon, but his feet are still in bounds, we use the "goal line extended". However, if he leaves the ground, say diving, and the ball passes outside the pylon, it is not a TD--ball is dead where it crossed the sideline. I think the NFL has slightly different rules on this, but I'm not sure.
Similar example is the punt rolling near the goal line. The player can be in the EZ and so long as the ball doesn't break the plane, the player can down the ball. It is the ball that matters, not the player. (Though out of bounds is different, which is where the controversy over that fumble by Stanford in Pullman a few years ago--and for the record, I think the officials got that one right.)
In those cases( side of back of the endzone ), the ball crosses the goal line in the air to get to the receiver. In this case the ball never crosses the goal line at all.
