[BostonCard]

This thread is really interesting to me. It makes me wonder if one additional rule would solve this issue and any variations that might come up:

The team that is on defense can choose whether to accept an offensive penalty at the end of the half or the end of the game.

Can you guys think of a situation where that would be a bad rule?

Well, that is the current rule.  In fact, at any point in the game, the defensive team can decline an offensive penalty.  in this situation it would have been a bad rule.  If they declined the penalty, the game would have been over.

The issue is the one of an "untimed down".  Instead of saying that the untimed down occurs if the defense commits a penalty as time expires, which is almost always the case, it should say that the team who would possess the football on the ensuing down would get an untimed down.  But the only situation I can think of where that would happen would be an intentional grounding, because that is the only offensive penalty that also results in loss of down (unless you count personal fouls after the play is over).

BC

[BostonCard]

This thread is really interesting to me. It makes me wonder if one additional rule would solve this issue and any variations that might come up:

The team that is on defense can choose whether to accept an offensive penalty at the end of the half or the end of the game.

Can you guys think of a situation where that would be a bad rule?

Well, that is the current rule.  In fact, at any point in the game, the defensive team can decline an offensive penalty.  in this situation it would have been a bad rule.  If they declined the penalty, the game would have been over.

The issue is the one of an "untimed down".  Instead of saying that the untimed down occurs if the defense commits a penalty as time expires, which is almost always the case, it should say that the team who would possess the football on the ensuing down would get an untimed down.  But the only situation I can think of where that would happen would be an intentional grounding, because that is the only offensive penalty that also results in loss of down (unless you count personal fouls after the play is over).

BC