Pylon rule: kinda weird

[linksfiend]

Here's the text:

 

Rule 11 Scoring

Section 2 Touchdown

Article 1 Touchdown Plays.

A touchdown is scored when:

© a ball in player possession touches the pylon, provided that, after contact by an opponent, no part of the player’s body, except his hands or feet, struck the ground before the ball touched the pylon

 

Now - pylons are square and are placed outside the boundary lines. So today's play where EJ hit the front face of the pylon with the nose of the ball would mean the ball is out of bounds according to the laws of geometry, right?

[PastaJoe]

The goal line extends to out of bounds where the pylons are, so given the rule, it's a TD.

[djp14150]

Pylons do not operate like the foul pole in baseball. the pylons are there more as a visual aid for officials to see if the player is in the endzone.

 

the line continuous to the out of bounds area.

[BuffaloBud]

As well as vertically

[linksfiend]

So what happens if a receiver catches a ball, gets one foot down and his second foot kicks the pylon off its' mooring then lands over the boundry line but in the footprint of the pylon (on top of the mooring)?

[mrags]

So what happens if a receiver catches a ball, gets one foot down and his second foot kicks the pylon off its' mooring then lands over the boundry line but in the footprint of the pylon (on top of the mooring)?

he didn't establish himself in bounds. It's different.

[BRH]

So what happens if a receiver catches a ball, gets one foot down and his second foot kicks the pylon off its' mooring then lands over the boundry line but in the footprint of the pylon (on top of the mooring)?

 

Easy. He's out of bounds.

 

The rule refers to the BALL touching the pylon, not a foot. The feet have to come down inbounds.

[peterpan]

Think of it like this, If you are tip-toeing down the right sideline, with the ball in your right hand, the ball is actually out of bounds on a vertical plane. However, the runner is not called down, he is allowed to advance the ball. If the runner then runs into the end zone, it is a TD.

 

Its the same concept. Because Manuel's feet/any other body part were still in the field of play, the ball can still be advanced even though, on a vertical plane, it is out of bounds. This happens with catches all the time (players reaching for balls and tip-toeing the goal line. The only time this is not true is when spotting a punt.

 

The pylon simply marks the goal line.

[pkwwjd]

Does anyone know when they shifted the understanding of the goaline from a 'vertical plane extending forever in each direction' to you must get the ball into the end zone within the boundaries? That was always the description I remember being talked about when I was younger ...