Football Gripe - Pulling the Ball Away

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I see this more often than I care for during the game. Standing a runner up and then having a couple of players grab the ball with their full weight and try to pull the ball out of the runner’s arms.

I'm not talking about knocking the ball out. It's when they are hanging on while the runner is not advancing. I don't care how strong you are - when somebody grabs hold of the ball and puts their entire body weight against you pulling down the ball, it's gonna come out. Once a player has been stopped progressing and more than one player has them stood up the ball should be ruled dead.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

By rule, the ball is dead when forward progress is stopped.

 

[patdog]

By rule, the ball is dead when forward progress is stopped.

Referees are extremely inconsistent with that call though.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

They let these "scrums" go on too long. Often the defense will have a runner stood up and stopped and offensive linemen will join in and start pushing the scrum forward.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

They let these "scrums" go on too long. Often the defense will have a runner stood up and stopped and offensive linemen will join in and start pushing the scrum forward.

Scrum is a good way to describe it. They let it go on because of instant replay, but they need to stop.

If a player gets the ball knocked away on his way down to the ground this one thing, but one player standing him up and then another one or two hanging on to the ball. It’s ridiculous. It’s rugby, not football. when it happens a couple of times in one game to Kansas City or somebody important to the NFL on television, then the rule will get changed.

 

[Maroon13]

Along these lines, punching the football to cause a fumble seemed like a smart play last year. However I've seen players miss with their punch often and hit arms or helmets or other body parts.

The punch needs to cease. Or call a PI when they miss.

 

[NWADawg]

Along these lines, punching the football to cause a fumble seemed like a smart play last year. However I've seen players miss with their punch often and hit arms or helmets or other body parts.

The punch needs to cease. Or call a PI when they miss.

Punching has always been a part of football any time you could get away with it. If it's not to the level of a personal foul, Play Ball.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

They let these "scrums" go on too long. Often the defense will have a runner stood up and stopped and offensive linemen will join in and start pushing the scrum forward.

It's the latter part of this that pisses me off more. Play is basically dead and the line to gain is not reached, but no whistle is blown so a random guard, who probably missed his block the first time, can lurch his fat *** against the pile which results in a first down.

 

[garddog]

Refs need to blow the whistle. Never heard any coach tell players to stop before the whistle