Ref question

[coldweatherfan]

-Team is punting.

-Punt is partially blocked.

-The ball goes forward, crosses the line of scrimmage, and hits one of the linemen from the return team.

-Punting team falls on the ball.

 

Who's ball is it?

 

Don't know if it matters or not, but punting team fell on the ball short of the first down marker.

[offside]

-Team is punting.

-Punt is partially blocked.

-The ball goes forward, crosses the line of scrimmage, and hits one of the linemen from the return team.

-Punting team falls on the ball.

 

Who's ball is it?

 

Don't know if it matters or not, but punting team fell on the ball short of the first down marker.

 

6-6-4...Any K player may catch or recover a scrimmage kick while it is beyond the neutral zone or the expanded neutral zone, provided such kick has been touched by a receiver who was clearly beyond the neutral zone at the time of touching. Such touching is ignored if it is caused by K pushing or blocking R into contact with the ball or it is caused by K legally batting or muffing the ball into R. Such catch or recovery by K beyond the neutral zone causes the ball to become dead.

 

5-1-3...a new series is awarded to: (f) The team in possession at the end of the down, if R is the first to touch a scrimmage kick while it is beyond the expanded neutral zone, unless a penalty is accepted for a non post-scrimmage kick foul which occurred before the kick ended.

 

Punting team's ball, first and 10 at the spot of recovery. (Line to gain is irrelevant and the partial block of the kick in or behind the neutral zone is ignored). Clock starts on the snap because K was awarded a new series following a legal kick (3-4-3c).

Edited October 11, 2009 by offside

[TheLegends64]

Sound like it's the punting teams ball. If it hits a lineman not in the neutral zone.

[coldweatherfan]

How big is the neutral zone. In this case the ball hit a lineman who was within 1 yard, 2 yards at the most from the line of scrimmage. Ball barely crossed the line of scrimmage.

[offside]

How big is the neutral zone. In this case the ball hit a lineman who was within 1 yard, 2 yards at the most from the line of scrimmage. Ball barely crossed the line of scrimmage.

 

Rule 2-28-1...The neutral zone is the space between...the two scrimmage lines during a scrimmage down.

 

Basically, it's the length of the football. The offensive line of scrimmage is the point of the ball nearest their goal line, and the defensive line of scrimmage is at the other point of the ball. But it can be expanded...

 

Rule 2-28-2...The neutral zone may be expanded following the snap up to a maximum of 2 yards behind the defensive line of scrimmage, in the field of play, during any scrimmage down.

 

The neutral zone is "expanded" to allow an offensive player to block a defender and drive him up to 2 yards beyond his line of scrimmage. It also allows a defender to block the kick within that 2 yard belt without it being considered "touching".

 

But it doesn't sound like the expanded neutral zone is a factor because "such touching is ignored if it is caused by K pushing or blocking R into contact with the ball" whether within the expanded neutral zone or not.

 

So, if the defender was not being blocked behind his line of scrimmage (and the touching was not an attempt to block the kick within the expanded neutral zone) and the ball touched him, K can gain possession.