In December, NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent said that the NFL will look at potentially changing the rule regarding fumbles out of the end zone. It ended up being a short look.
Via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones (a member of the Competition Committee) said Tuesday that discussions regarding the possibility have “died.”
Of course, that doesn’t stop the owners from doing it on their own. If 24 are willing to make the change, the change will be made.
It’s unclear why the possibility was even put on the table. There was no specific incident or controversy that caused it.
That said, the rule as currently constructed results in fewer points, over the long haul. If an offensive player fumbles at, for example, the two and it goes out of bounds at the one, the offense gets the ball at the spot of the fumble. If it touches the pylon, however, the defense gets the ball on the 20.
Still, for now, the rule remains. And the lesson for all players is clear. If you reach with the ball as you get close to the goal line, you do so at the risk of losing the grip on the ball, seeing it bounce out of bounds in the end zone, and surrendering possession to the opponent.
