# Football sticks into ground on punt - dead ball? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2007, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012 "2007-11-28T07:46:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/1 "2007-11-28T07:46:50Z")
Saw the highlights from the Dolphins - Steelers game the other night, held after a major rain storm, with a sodden field. At one point, on a punt, the ball hit the ground and stuck. It looked like the player who was fielding the ball didn’t pick it up - was the ball dead under NFL rules? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/2 "2007-11-28T08:09:34Z")
I can’t think of any rule that would make it that way. The returner most likely didn’t attempt a return because by the time he’d get there he’d be clobbered. Punts that the returner doesn’t catch directly before they hit the ground generally aren’t returned… too risky. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/3 "2007-11-28T08:59:33Z")
Yes and no. The ball was still live, but the cover team had closed enough of a gap that there was no incentive for the returning team to pick it up. However, when a punt rolls to a stop, the officials will often blow the play dead if no one is making an attempt to return it. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/4 "2007-11-28T18:31:21Z")
If the ball comes to a stop (regardless of how far it rolled), and the kicking team doesn’t field it, _and_ no one on the receiving team makes any kind of move for the ball (which, barring some incredibly boneheaded macho blunder, is always the case), the play is blown dead after usually one or two seconds. IIRC, this doesn’t have anything specific to do with a punt, it simply falls under stopped forward progress. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/5 "2007-11-28T19:07:41Z")
It looked to me like the cover team was taken aback by the stuck ball and decided either not to touch it (which would be the normal thing to do) or were afraid to touch it because it was cursed or something. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/6 "2007-11-28T20:08:13Z")
That whole game was cursed. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/7 "2007-11-28T20:16:00Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] That whole game was cursed. [/QUOTE] Not for me! I couldn’t have been happier. I went into the MNF game up 6pts in fantasy football and no more players to play. My opponent still had all 4 quarters with Roethlisberger to get the 6 pts and win the weekend. He got two positive pts and one negative point for a grand total of 1 point! Go muddy sod! ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/8 "2007-11-28T20:27:59Z")
[QUOTE=DKW] If the ball comes to a stop (regardless of how far it rolled), and the kicking team doesn’t field it, _and_ no one on the receiving team makes any kind of move for the ball (which, barring some incredibly boneheaded macho blunder, is always the case), the play is blown dead after usually one or two seconds. IIRC, this doesn’t have anything specific to do with a punt, it simply falls under stopped forward progress. [/QUOTE] NFL 7-4-2: Article 2 If a loose ball comes to rest anywhere in field and no player attempts to recover, official covering the play should pause momentarily before signaling dead ball (official’s time out). Any legal kick is awarded to receivers and any other ball to team last in possession. When awarded to a team behind the goal line, the ball is placed on its 1-yard line. See 7-4-5 and Note. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/9 "2007-11-28T23:49:49Z")
Does anyone have a link to a photo of this? The missus didn’t believe it when I told her. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/10 "2007-11-28T23:59:23Z")
How about video? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb4t9zSG4nA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb4t9zSG4nA) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/11 "2007-11-29T01:49:20Z")
[QUOTE=aktep] How about video? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb4t9zSG4nA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb4t9zSG4nA) [/QUOTE] That was great! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/12 "2007-11-29T09:01:08Z")
That was one hell of a game. I wouldn’t want them all to go like that, but it was Historic Football, one of those games I’ll never forget. I laughed like a loon when the punt stuck in the mud. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/13 "2007-11-29T10:54:32Z")
I really wanted to see a 0-0 tie. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/14 "2007-12-01T15:23:15Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] Punts that the returner doesn’t catch directly before they hit the ground generally aren’t returned.. too risky. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Raygun99] Yes and no. The ball was still live, but the cover team had closed enough of a gap that there was no incentive for the returning team to pick it up. However, when a punt rolls to a stop, the officials will often blow the play dead if no one is making an attempt to return it. [/QUOTE] Ah, now I understand. Thanks. This is a difference between American and Canadian rules. Up here, the punter can recover the ball, so the receiving team always has to try to field it, whether the receiver catches it in mid-air, or after it’s bounced on the ground. If the receiving team doesn’t get their hands on the ball, they may lose it to the kicking team. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-sticks-into-ground-on-punt-dead-ball/428012/15 "2007-12-01T19:05:34Z")
Since the ball did not land in a hazard, the receiving team was allowed a free drop from the point where the ball stuck in the ground. It had to be no more than two players’ length and no closer to the goal line.