Quote:
Originally Posted by jd1020
I've never really understood why that is a touch back and the ball goes to the other team. You can't fumble forward right? So if that happened at the 50 and the ball went out at the 47 you get the ball at the 50, right? So why does the end zone change everything?
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Everyone always thinks of this rule only in relation to the ball going out of bounds along the sidelines.
My thought is that the rule is intended to be related to the ball going forward down the field. In the open field and away from the sidelines, when there is a fumble, both teams have the opportunity to recover the ball and one always will. If the balls goes through the back of the endzone though, the offense is not penalized if there is a fumble. That is, the scenario changes from someone must recover to the offense automatically recovers if not for the rule. The rule flips the script and penalizes the offense for losing the ball through the endzone.
Personally, I disagree with all of the articles that proclaim it as the "worst rule in football." If you're on offense, hang onto the ball and you don't have a problem. My view is the rule should be the way that it is.