One of the first concepts we learn in penalty enforcement is that there are only two types of plays: a loose-ball play and a running play. That sounds simple enough until we read Rule 2-33. Suddenly we discover that a loose-ball play can include a player running with the football, while a running play can include the ball rolling loose on the ground after a fumble.
That seems backwards.
The confusion comes from the names. Rule 2-33 is not concerned with whether the ball is loose at a particular moment. Instead, it is identifying which type of play is occurring for penalty enforcement purposes.
Rule 2-33-1 defines a loose-ball play as action during a free kick, scrimmage kick, legal forward pass, backward pass (including the snap), illegal kick, or a fumble by Team A from in or behind the neutral zone before a change of possession. It also includes the run or runs that immediately precede those actions.
That last sentence may be confusing. How can a quarterback scrambling behind the line of scrimmage be part of a loose-ball play when he is carrying the football?
An airline trip provides a helpful way to picture what the rule is describing.
Imagine a transportation company is hired to escort an important executive from his home in New York to a meeting in Denver. Their contract does not begin when the airplane leaves the runway. It begins at the executive’s front door.
The company picks him up from home, drives him to the airport, escorts him through the TSA checkpoint, walks him to the gate, boards the airplane with him, flies to Denver, and accompanies him off the aircraft. Only after the executive steps off the airplane is that company’s job finished. At the destination gate, a second transportation company takes over and drives him to his hotel.
The football is our VIP.
The executive’s home is the line of scrimmage. The drive to the airport represents the quarterback dropping back or scrambling before throwing a forward pass. Even though the ball is in a player’s possession, that run is part of the same transportation contract because its purpose is to get the football “onto the airplane.” Rule 2-33-1(d) specifically includes the run or runs that precede the kick, pass, snap, or fumble.
The flight itself represents the pass, kick, snap, or fumble. Throughout that entire journey, we are still operating under the same contract.
When the receiver catches the pass, or a player recovers the loose ball beyond the neutral zone, the airplane has landed. The first company’s responsibility is over.
Now a different contract begins.
The runner advances the football. If he later fumbles and a teammate recovers, another running play begins. If he changes direction three times, nothing changes. We are still in the ground transportation portion of the trip.
Notice something important about this analogy.
You only get one airline ticket.
A traveler may ride in several different vehicles after landing in Denver, but he does not suddenly board another airplane during the same trip. Likewise, a down can have only one loose-ball play. Once that loose-ball play ends, every subsequent action is part of a running play, even if the football later becomes loose because of a fumble.
That is one of the most important lessons in Rule 2-33.
A loose ball does not automatically create a loose-ball play.
The rule is identifying the type of play, not describing the condition of the football.
This perspective also helps us understand why the basic spot is different. If a foul occurs while the football is still under the “flight contract,” enforcement returns to where that contract began: the previous spot. Once the airplane has landed and the running play begins, we leave the first transportation company behind. From that point forward, penalty enforcement follows the rules that govern the running play.
Understanding Rule 2-33 is not about memorizing a list. It is about recognizing which transportation company is responsible for the football at the time of the foul. Once you can visualize the trip from New York to Denver, the distinction between a loose-ball play and a running play becomes much easier to see.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer. (Choose all that apply.)
1/10 from the A-38 with 0:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. A12 takes the snap and scrambles backward. Under a heavy rush and about to be tackled, A12 blindly throws a pass from the A-30 that lands untouched beyond the neutral zone near the A-40. No eligible receiver is in the area.
- No foul, 2/10 for Team A from the A-38
- Foul for an illegal forward pass, 2/23 from the A-25
- The game clock starts on the snap
- The game clock starts on the ready for play
Review Rules 2-33-1b, 3-4-6, 7-5-2d EXCEPTION 2, 10-1-6b, and 10-4-4b