Last nights game was really fun to watch (not having an interest in the outcome) Lead changes, exciting runs and trick plays. And Ricky Williams looked pretty good for a 5 time league substance abuse violator.
Something I heard on the Local Sportsradio station yesterday (KTCK "The Ticket")...
Babe Laufenberg (former player/current sportscaster) called in randomly and brought up this little known rule, has anybody EVER heard this one?
Last week against the Broncos after the Broncos punted and slapped it back out of the endzone, one of the Cowboys picked it up and ran. So, the radio announcers were ripping the player on a "mental lapse" because if he had fumbled the attempt AFTER the punting team had touched it, then it would have been Bronco ball. Babe said that the rule is actually that AFTER a team downs the ball, no matter what the receiving team does (even fumble no matter how long they have had possession) if the receiving team fields it and loses possesion, the ball would would only be placed where it was downed and be 1st Down receiving team. Has anybody ever heard of this "little known" rule? The point was moot because the ball actually went into the endzone for a touchback, but is it really a "zero risk" play? Not that I have cause to question a former player and all around nice guy like Laufenberg, but still, seems like a wierd rule.
For clarification here is a hypothetical in a more linear format:
Team Punts
Punting Team swats the ball (to keep it out of the end zone in most cases I assume)
Return guy grabs the swatted ball and runs to the 50
He is stripped at the 50 and the ball is recovered by the Punting Team.
At this point the rule states that the ball would be placed at the spot it was "downed" by the punting team and possesion goes to the receiving team as if the return and fumble never happened.
