If the receivers are covered and a quarterback is outside of the pocket, he can throw the ball back to the line of scrimmage without incurring an intentional grounding penalty. My question is: Why don't running backs ever do the same thing?

The biggest takeaway from this? The best announcing crew for the White Sox is the Spanish-language team.

I can completely see the director of officiating of the NFL telling the crew working the Seahawks game this weekend to throw a flag on every play if they have to. I'm sure they're "testing" the officials, but that's the kind of thing you don't say in the media (regardless of who is saying it).

I disagree. At 1:40 of the clip, the video shows Nunn taking two steps, changing direction, and intentionally moving into and shoving Newbill. This is the perspective that the official on that baseline would have had. Should be a double technical. Although, if Newbill had already been a problem earlier in the game,…

It's the view from the baseline camera that shows this the best - both players should have received technical fouls for their actions. Very surprised that only the Penn State player was tossed. Question, though - was he tossed for that alone or was that his second technical foul?

Nah, I don't think it's Cantore. He's been with TWC for almost 30 years, and he's one of their most talented and widely-respected meteorologists. In terms of comparison, Cantore is more like a Bobby Bowden or Steve Spurrier.

If you're looking for the Tim Tebow of weather, I'd go with Al Roker. The guy isn't a…

Multiple sources (including Bob Rosato, USA Today) saying Dave Martin has passed away from the heart attack.

Coaches and game administration. Which is who -should- be breaking up the fights, if they happen.

"Disqualifications can be enforced" by notifying the coach when the referee is able (in the locker room following the game, usually) and submitting the appropriate paperwork to the league office. You don't have to go through the penalty and enforcement mechanics after the game is over (and many leagues instruct the…

If there is a fight, the officials are supposed to remain only to observe and get information on who participated. As soon as it is broken up, the officials are supposed to leave the field as normal. At no time are officials instructed or supposed to attempt to intervene to break up a fight in progress (during the…

The yardage penalty for a dead-ball foul after the game is over means nothing. Obviously, disqualifications can be enforced, but there's nothing to be gained by the referees staying on the field to enforce the yardage penalty on a dead-ball foul.

It looks like the referee declares the game over after the play. If that's the case, the crew has one job to do - get off the field. Any dead-ball fouls and ejections can be handled administratively following the game. There's no reason anyone on the crew should be doing anything other than leaving the field in this…

Tyler's good, but for some reason I like Ian Darke's call on that play a little better (skip to 5:40 in the video - won't let me set the time directly).

I think this was featured on Deadspin a couple years ago, but just to wit:

I am a Pats fan, and I can say this - I'm not sure of the justification of the rule, but it was enforced properly. This is on Belichick and the Pats' defensive line not knowing the change in the rule and getting dinged for something really stupid. Folk is going to miss that kick regardless of how you try and push…

There was helmet contact, but it was certainly incidental and on review, none of the "high-risk" factors for which officials have been instructed to watch (upward thrust, lowered helmet, launching from the ground) are here. This is a routine football play by all accounts. I would be hard-pressed to even call roughing…

Actually, if the cops were interfering with the referee's administration of the game, they do have the "total, unconditional power" to throw the cops out of the stadium.

I'm not saying (or trying to imply) they do. This branch of law is not my specialty, and I would defer to someone who specializes in it. I'm only conveying what the rule book says and allows the official to do - and the rule book doesn't discern between police officers and civilians.

Actually, aside from managing players and coaches on the sidelines, crowd control is mostly the job of game administration. Officials will remind people who are not team personnel to keep back if they're getting too close, but if the problem is persistent, our instructions are generally to inform game administration…

I don't know who is in the right here, but as an official, there are a lot of things in play here. If the police officer is acting in an official capacity as "crowd control", he is considered a "team attendant" and is subject to the restrictions laid out in NFHS rule 9-8-1. If the officer were in violation of this…