Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="upstater, post: 2542794, member: 153"] The tuck rule used to be called regularly, 2 or 3 times a year. In fact, the Patriots lost a game in 2001 because of the tuck rule when Vinny T. fumbled the ball, Patriots recovered, and they gave the ball back to the Jets. In fact, the Raiders - Patriots game doesn't even happen at all if not for the tuck rule because a Patriots win against the Jets changes the seeding. You brought up the Jets play with Austin Seferian-Jenkins and this Sunday we saw the exact same play on the Lewis fumble. ASJ caught the ball and established himself as a runner. As he approaches the goal line, he fumbles the ball. Same as Lewis fumbling and losing control. Both players hit the ground and secured the ball loosely against their body, but the ball was still moving. In Lewis's case, he was on the ground when someone stripped it. In ASJ's case, he secured the ball when his shoulder was already out of bounce. Same idea. When you fumble, you have to survive the ground. Just like a fumble near the sideline. It's not good enough for you to grab it before you go out of bounds. You need to possess it. And yet, if that was Fournette fumbling and then grabbing the ball with one hand against his body while on the ground, then a Patriot ripped it away while he was on the ground, there would have been an uproar from crybaby fans about the NFL favoring the Patriots. [/QUOTE]