OT: 108 yd Kick-off return?
How do they officially measure a 108 yd. kick-off return? Why is it possible to have a return of over 100 yds? Randall Cobb ran one back Thursday night for the Packers. Obviously there are no yard lines in the endzones. If this is possible, why isn't a TD pass into the endzone added to a QBs yardage? Thanks!
September 11th, 2011 at 3:36 PM ^
The NFL measures (estimates, really) kickoff returns from where they were caught in the endzone. He must have caught it eight yards deep. In college, that would just be scored a 100-yard return.
As for why the NFL does this, I have no idea.
September 11th, 2011 at 3:53 PM ^
I was in attendance at that game:)
September 11th, 2011 at 3:56 PM ^
visual approximation of where he caught the ball in the end zone
September 11th, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^
Why are people negging this OP for asking a reasonable question that he did not know the answer to? Seems a little unnecessary.
I've never totally understood why the endzone that you receive the ball in counts as yardage either. Seems like it would not count as yardage until you're out on the field. I'm not disagreeing with the above posters, as they are quite correct. Just saying it always seemed odd to me as well.
September 11th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
Because they are dicks.
September 11th, 2011 at 4:48 PM ^
Sucks because it discourages people from actually asking/saying something interesting - it is in fact a very good question. Just consider who's doing the negging - would rather they counter with an intelligent thought of their own.
September 11th, 2011 at 5:13 PM ^
If I see someone getting negged for bullshit reasons, I always pos the OP. You can't make people stop being ignorant, but you can counteract their ignorance.
September 11th, 2011 at 5:25 PM ^
Unfortunately, as a result, I feel the need to plus 1 a lot of threads . . . .
September 11th, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
September 11th, 2011 at 11:10 PM ^
With a pass or a rush, you take possession of the ball at the line of scrimmage. All yardage is then based off the line of scrimmage. If the QB is in shotgun and makes it back to the LOS it counts as no gain as opposed to 3-4 yard gain.
It's the same effect with a punt. In the Oregon St-Wisky game, the punter had a punt go off the side of his foot. Despite going forward, it didn't make it back to the LOS, so it went down as being a -4 yard punt.
Now with kickoff and punt returns, when the ball changes possession, that is where the yardage starts. What the NFL does is estimates it and even if they announce it as 108 yards, that is the unofficial yardage until they look at the film and have a chance to more accurately measure it. I remember years ago when one team in the NFL was attempting a FG at the end of a half and the other team sent a guy back for a return. He caught it in the endzone and started running it out and the other team was kinda hesitant to go after him and ended up taking it back to the house. They announced it as "unofficially 107 or 108 yards(don't remember which one) and then said if it holds up it would be an NFL record. Later in the game they then announced that it was in fact an NFL record.