The Safety

[TKO]

??? Allen never set foot in the endzone and he attempted what appeared to be a shovel pass. The ball should have been placed on the previous line of scrimmage at midfield IMO. They must have ruled it a fumble but based on that I guess it's legal for a defender to swat a fumble out of the endzone from anywhere in the red zone and score two points. If it's a fumble, it's a free ball and the Pats lost possession of it, so how can it be a safety?

It needs to be clarified because it sounds like a dumb call.

I guess they say he fumbled it out of the back of the endzone.

 

[NEhomer]

...however clearly last touched by Indy. It does beg for an explanation.

 

[JDM]

Last touched doesn't matter. Last possessed does.

The defender can be penalized for deliberately batting a loose ball, but this didn't happen. He was tackling Allen, and his momentum knocked the ball backwards.

As for a pass, he was clearly trying, but that wasn't a pass. It wasn't even close.

 

[TKO]

Last touched doesn't matter. Last possessed does.

The defender can be penalized for deliberately batting a loose ball, but this didn't happen. He was tackling Allen, and his momentum knocked the ball backwards.

As for a pass, he was clearly trying, but that wasn't a pass. It wasn't even close.

If the play was reviewed they might have rules it a forward pass/tuck rule:

On the play in question, Patriots long snapper Danny Aiken hiked the ball well over the head of punter Ryan Allen. What had been a routine fourth-and-2 punt from the 49 instead turned into a free football bounding down the field at Gillette Stadium. Allen was presented with two options:
1. Fall on the ball, thus giving Indianapolis a first-and-goal from the two-yard line.
2. Kick the ball into the end zone and play for the safety.
Allen took option three — channeling his best Garo Yepremian and trying to pick up the ball and throw it.

Allen lucked out. His “throw”was swatted down and went out of the back of the end zone. Through no doings of his own, he backed into the safety he should have taken by kicking the ball out of the end zone. He took the wrong route to the right play.

No, Dan Dierdorf, the Patriots punter shouldn?t have fallen on the ball | For The Win

 

[JDM]

That wasn't a throw. He tried but it was clearly a fumble.

 

[Drawmeomg]

Huh.

So by rule, if the offense fumbles the ball into the endzone and the ball goes out of bounds in the endzone, it's a safety.

However, if the offense fumbles the ball in the field of play and the defense provides the impetus that makes the ball go into the endzone, it is a touchback - the offense gets possession with first down and 10 to go from their own 20 yard line.

So they screwed that call up badly. By rule, that should have been 1st and 10, Patriots ball, from their own 20.

 

[JDM]

The defense has to gain possession for a touchback to come into play.

If they deliberately batted it through the end zone it would be a penalty from the spot of the bat and possession wouldn't change.

If they are just playing and the loose ball happens to be knocked into the end zone it's a safety.

 

[TKO]

Huh.

So by rule, if the offense fumbles the ball into the endzone and the ball goes out of bounds in the endzone, it's a safety.

However, if the offense fumbles the ball in the field of play and the defense provides the impetus that makes the ball go into the endzone, it is a touchback - the offense gets possession with first down and 10 to go from their own 20 yard line.

So they screwed that call up badly. By rule, that should have been 1st and 10, Patriots ball, from their own 20.

I don't think BB wanted to challenge it because the Colts might have gotten it at the three yard line. He took what looked like the lesser evil. Allen was never in the endzone and the ball was free on the field of play...fumble or botched shovel pass...it doesn't make sense to call it a safety when the defender batted it into and out of the end zone..

 

[JDM]

I looked up the rule draw is talking about and don't think it applies. I wouldn't consider having it bounce off the guy completely loose before it touched the ground and with as much of the initial movement coming from Allen as the defender.

 

[TKO]

I looked up the rule draw is talking about and don't think it applies. I wouldn't consider having it bounce off the guy completely loose before it touched the ground and with as much of the initial movement coming from Allen as the defender.

Scroll down about halfway on the page in the link below and you can see a closeup of the play. #61 clearly knocked the ball into the endzone by himself:

No, Dan Dierdorf, the Patriots punter shouldn?t have fallen on the ball | For The Win

 

[JDM]

I don't think it qualifies until the ball hits the ground as is actually a fumble, though. It's like if you strip the QB in the field of play and the strip brings the ball backwards into the end zone IMO.

Safety was what I believe is the right call, both per the rules and logically.

 

[Drawmeomg]

The difference is that when he fumbles the ball, it's moving forward; the impetus that sends it into (and through) the endzone is a swat by the defender after it has completely left Allen's hands.

Moot point, of course. Just a really weird play.