What exactly is the rule for a safety?

**DukieBoy** · 10-31-2011, 10:05 PM

Re: What exactly is the rule for a safety?

So, on a loose ball, you can grab the ball away, or pull the ball away, but you can't push the ball away by any means such as a slap, punch, etc? And in a pile, you can bite, spit, punch, grab sensitive areas, etc, to try to get the ball away from an opponent. I've seen players carrying the ball and defenders try to punch or slap the ball away. Too many micromanaging rules mess up the game.

They ought to correct this. Make it simple!

**SanAntonioSteelerFan** · 11-01-2011, 06:58 AM

Re: What exactly is the rule for a safety?

To get back to the question in the original post:

The rules posted up there seemed to clearly make the point that it's only a safety if the original team on offense was responsible for the ball going back into their own end zone ... that concept of "impetus".

In this case that clearly did not happen - it was not the Pats* that were responsible for the ball going into their end zone, but rather it was the original team on defense (the Steelers, in this case) that provided the impetus for the ball to go in the Pats* end zone.

So, how does that make this play a safety?

**Slapstick** · 11-01-2011, 07:38 AM

Re: What exactly is the rule for a safety?

NFL Fmuble Rules Excerpt:

On fumbles that go out of bounds the last team to actually have possession of the football will be awarded the ball. The ball is spotted where it went out of bounds if the offensive team fumbles it out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage. If the ball is fumbled forward and it rolls or is knocked out of bounds it is spotted at the point where it was fumbled. This rule keeps a player from deliberately fumbling a ball forwards and out of bounds to gain yardage. If a team fumbles the ball into and out of the opponent's end zone, it is ruled a touchback once it goes out of bounds. This means that the opponent will be awarded the ball at their own 20 yard line. If a team fumbles the ball out of bounds in the end zone they are defending then a safety is the result, with two points for the other team. This also occurs when a punt is blocked out of bounds in the end zone.

Read more: NFL Out of Bounds Rules | eHow.com [url="http://www.ehow.com/about_4676933_nfl-out-bounds-rules.html#ixzz1cS8J2Nh1"]http://www.ehow.com/about_4676933_nfl-o ... z1cS8J2Nh1[/url]