OT - 2023 NFL thread

The NFL rulebook states: “If a ball is fumbled in the field of play, and goes forward into the opponent’s end zone and over the end line or sideline, a touchback is awarded to the defensive team.”

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At the heart of the issue, a source said, is that no one has been able to crystalize what an alternative would be. And if no one cares enough to offer an alternative to the rule, then there won’t be any change to the rule.

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Many alternatives proposed anecdotally have centered on the offense retaining possession of the ball, losing a down and setting the football at some arbitrary yard line. Should the ball be at the 1 or at the 20? Treat it like intentional grounding and go back 15 yards from the previous spot? The competition committee discussed that in 2018 and considered, among many options, the original spot of the fumble or the opposing team’s 15-yard line.

I find it bizarre that VincentVegaLooksAroundConfused.gif is somehow the prevailing sentiment here, when the extraordinarily obvious answer—that the rule governing every other fumble that goes forward and out of bounds should apply—stares the world in the face.