1/2 the distance rule

[onlylabs]

So here is a question that I've had for years but never thought about asking it here until today! May not really be an answer to the question but for the bulk of people who comment on this forum I like the interaction so I'd like to hear other's thoughts. Why do 1/2 the distance to the goal penalties exist as they do? I've always thought the actually penalizes the non-penalized team when they are enforced. Sometimes is likely on 5 yards or less of a difference but I still feel like the team that committed the infraction gets off easier. Say ball is on the 14 of Team B with Team A going in to score. There is Defensive PI on the Team B 1 yard line (not in the EZ). Normally 15 yard penalty correct? But in this case would be 1/2 the distance, correct? So ball is spotted on the 7. So Team A gets shorted 8 penalty yards. Can't really get 15 because that puts it in the EZ but why not go as far in full yards as you can without entering the EZ? Say ball moved to the 1? Another scenario...Team A on own 10. Gets holding penalty on 5. That is 1/2 the distance correct? So again 10 yard penalty becomes 5 yards. Team B gets slighted. I'd argue that it gets moved to the 1 again. If my scenarios are off in specifics I apologize feel free to correct but more interested in the opinions of others on the 1/2 the distance enforcement. Thanks!

 

[VAOfficial]

The half the distance rule in 10-1-5 is a matter of fairness. If the offense is on the 10 yard line going in, and the defense commits a holding foul, is it really fair to put the offense on the 1 inch line (and almost a sure touchdown on the next play) for a minor foul? And on the reverse situation, if the offense holds and gets put on their own 1 inch line, that drive is pretty much done and they're lucky if they don't end up getting a safety, all because of a minor foul. Also, do not forget, not only does the offended team get half the distance, the offense gets to replay the down which can be huge when you're near the goal line.

On a related note, if a team tries to use this "half the distance" to their advantage to prevent a team from scoring or to prolong the game by continuously committing fouls, there is rule coverage that allows the referee to award a touchdown, a safety, or forfeit the game. It is covered under the rarely utilized "unfair act" rule. The signal is the same as an unsportsmanlike conduct, but it's not the same foul. The unsportsmanlike conduct signal is also known as the "noncontact foul" signal. Whenever you see a referee signal with his arms out to his sides, it's not always a USC.

9-10-2: No team shall repeatedly commit fouls which halve the distance to the goal line.
PENALTY: The referee enforces any penalty he/she considers equitable, including the award of a score. Art. 2 – Repeated fouls – the game may be forfeited.

 

[White hat]

Rule 10-1-5 has been there, unchanged or considered since Moby Dick was a minnow.
ART. 5 . . . Enforcement of a penalty cannot take the ball more than half the distance from the enforcement spot to the offending team's goal line. If the prescribed penalty is greater than this, the ball is placed halfway from the spot of enforcement to the goal line.

The NCAA agrees with onlylabs regarding defensive pass interference. In the NCAA, any DPI in the endzone (or between the 2 and the endzone) where the ball is snapped between the 17 and the 2 takes the ball all the way to the 2. It's not the same as the NFL rule of placing the ball at the 1. Plus, if the ball is snapped outside the 17 it's just a 15 yard foul.

Funny story: A young guy started calling football and moved to the umpire position -- the guy who physically moves the ball and places it during penalty administration. He was 4 or 5 years in, working a game with a buddy of mine as referee. There was a call where the play ended at the 26 but there was a deadball foul on the defense. The referee tell the umpire that it's a half-the-distance penalty. When he goes to mark the ball read for play he sees the ball is near the 18, not the 13. The R tells the U to put it in the right place. The U says it is. They talk about it. Turns out, after playing 10 years of football and officiating a few more, the umpire had always thought that the distance penalty was cut in half, meaning a 15-yard penalty was 7.5 yards, not half the distance to the goal line.

He never gave it any thought and it must have never come up where someone noticed the ball was in the wrong place. That's probably something only rules geeks find funny, but we still laugh about that.

 

[onlylabs]

Thanks for your replies. VAOfficial (sorry cant figure this quote thing out) interesting about that 9-10-2 rule. That one I'd never heard of. I couldn't argue for the fairness take on the rule. If it is fair for the penalty to be certain yardage elsewhere on the field (minor infraction or not) then I just feel it should be that near goal lines as well. Obviously we can make scenarios any way we'd like but DB holding a receiver from breaking free on an open slant before the EZ or that hold by OL near GL that keeps QB from being sacked in EZ may not be considered that minor. The replay of the down maybe balances the discussion some. Expertise appreciated!

White hat: I guess the changes to NCAA and NFL rules in this regard, which I don't think are that new (few years), are what made me even realize the rule bothered me!
That type of anecdote is why I appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you guys! Made me chuckle. I can see why no one would really notice it though as most of the time everyone is just arguing about the call not the placement!