Down at the 1

In last night’s game, the Giants had one of the best special teams plays I’ve ever seen. They downed a punt at the 1 millimeter line. And the player who did it was careful not to have accidentally stepped on the goal line or in the end zone. So why did the refs then spot the ball on the 1 yard line, essentially giving the Cowboys an extra yard? ESPN’s troika of geniuses didn’t notice the play nor commented on the spot (I doubt even if they had they’d have had a rationale or coherent explanation. Why don’t announcers know the rules?).

 

Anyway, a friend suggests that perhaps on punts the ball is spotted where the downing player’s feet are, not where the ball is. If so, it is one of the few instances in football where it matters where the player is and not the ball.