Bad snap = false start

[Larry]

(Apologies. Search doesn't seem to be working.)

Just reading (and chatting) in the Eagle's game thread, and some folks described something that IMO was more of a general NFL question.

As it was described to me, there was a play where a ad snap went through the QBs legs. Recovered by Philly.

Ruled, supposedly, that, since the ball didn't leave the ground and didn't touch the QB, it was a false start. The play didn't happen. Five yard penalty, Bears get the ball back.

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Now me, if that's the way things were ruled, then I really don't get it. Are they claiming that the play doesn't start until the snap is accepted? To me, the extreme example would be for punts. Are both teams required to remain on their sides of the line until the ball touches the punter? If the ball goes over the punter's head, then is there no play?

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(Or was it just explained to me wrong, and was the ruling that some other player, like the TE, moved, before the (bad) snap, and therefore, dead ball foul, no play?)

[NewCliche21]

Once the ball is moved from its spot, the play has begun.

The refs have been making up a lot of "rules" this year.

[phishisthegreatstuff]

Wrong forum. But yeah i saw the play. The QB wasn't there yet and the center snapped if before the qb was lined up. The rule is if that happens its a false start b/c you can't just snap the ball without the qb ready.

[laurent]

That explanation goes counter to anything I've learned over the years of watching football. Sounds like a poor explanation to me.

[laurent]

Wrong forum. But yeah i saw the play. The QB wasn't there yet and the center snapped if before the qb was lined up. The rule is if that happens its a false start b/c you can't just snap the ball without the qb ready.

Oh, so basically because the QB isn't lined up behind center but off the line like a receiver he has to be set before the ball is snapped.

That makes sense.

[CowboysSaintsFan]

Who cares? The Eagles had no business letting a depleted Bears team hang around for so long in the game. If anything-they should have smacked them a good one by halftime.

They lost, they're 2-4, they can never do wrong in the eyes of the national sports media, but they're still 2-4 for the first time since '00, and are cellar dwellars.

Frankly-I'm happy their hateful fans are going through alot of misery.

[Larry]

Wrong forum.

What, I'm not allowed to discuss NFL rules, unless the ruling occurred in a Redskins game? I wanted to discuss the rule, not whether :eaglesuck

[JerseyGator]

It's a bogus rule if it exists. I imagine you can't challenge such a ruling to see if the ball was snapped off the ground. The Bears got a huge break on that play. Griese also fumbled a snap on the goal line, so I'm not sure he is ever set.

I've never seen that called before on any level.