I apologize if this was determined earlier, but how was the muffed punt not a safety? If an opposing team touches the ball and goes back into their own endzone and is tackled isn't that classified as a safety? I remember watching a football game a few years ago where a player returned a kick from his endzone went past the marker into the field and then went back into the endzone and took a knee and it was classified a safety.

I truly believed we should have won and we got two terrible calls on special teams.

The foot of the Gopher that touched the ball was clearly on the goal line when he touched. Since he never had position on the field of play, I believe that makes it a touch back. Make sense?

It's the same logic that doesn't allow muffed punts to be advanced by the kicking team; the receiver didn't make a "football move" with the ball, so there was no possession. It was just a free ball that would belong to whoever falls on it and controls it. As I recall no one fell on it in the field of play, but even if someone had and it's determined that their momentum took them into the endzone, it would be recovered there -- a TD if the kicking recovers and a touchback if the receiving team does. It's where the ball is when the recovering player's knee touches.

Doesn't inertia change when an object impacts it? The ball clearly made its way to the endzone by physical force of Minnesota players.

Nobody was "standing" in the endzone. It looked pretty clear that it was recovered inside the one and his momentum of trying to get to the ball took him and the ball into the endzone--no inertia from the kick.

I saw it when it happened, then saw several replays afterwards. To me the Minnesota player clearly fell on the ball on the one yard line and then his momentum took him into the end zone.

This is sort of the same thing as the inertia call on a muffed ball going in to the endzone. Upon gaining possession after a muff, or a fumble recovery, or interception, if the momentum you had upon gaining possession takes you into the endzone before you are down it is a touchback. If you propel yourself into the endzone then it is a safety.

That's the rule. I have always thought that in the latter case you should get the ball where you gained possession. But I also have several other issues with the touchback rules that I think should be changed.

Just curious: what would the proper call be if the ball had squirted out of the back of the endzone before control was established?

Seems a ridiculous rule that a team on the 7 yard line signals a fair catch--content to start from there, muffs it and the ball is recovered in the end zone and the ball comes out to the 20--screwing the punter over who placed one perfectly only to have his kick ruled to have gone into the endzone. If not a safety, the ball should be placed where the last guy on the receiving end touched it before having gone into the endzone or the twenty which is ever worse.

Speaking of stupid rules. A defender clearly lines up or jumps offsides and is zoning in on killing your QB. A flag was thrown for the offsides but another, a holding flag is thrown on the running back who tackles the offside culprit to avoid the smear on the QB. Both penalties offset--if it isn't already, that should be a judgement call with only the first offender penalized.

My favorite rule "punishment"....

Tailback Smith is trying to score so he extends the ball out towards the pylon. It gets knocked out of his hand before it cross the goal line:

Based on how the ball bounces it could be either a touchback or Smith may be running again on the next play. Or if his team is really luck, they may score on that one.

Then there is always the safety on an extra point attempt, on the defending team. They may have tried to get that out of the rulebook but I think it can still happen. Can you imagine losing in overtime on that one?

If you don't like that rule, don't fumble the ball.

Victory that makes no sense, the entire game is set up with the goaline being the object, and "how" the ball gets to the goaline is the reason for every scoring rule or force rule.