It’s only 5 yards if the ball bounces first. Plus if you hit him before he touches the ball you’ll also get nailed with an unnecessary roughness penalty on top of the no yards penalty.
yup…I would take a 5 yard penalty on every single punt if i could. If someone touches the ball they are getting at least 2. Go for it…not the hit, but if it is on the ground, why wouldn’t you?
Nailing the punt returner (as you put it) would fall under this rule:
(f) if a kicking team player invades the 5-yard zone, and contacts in an unnecessarily
rough manner a receiving team player who is attempting to play the ball, the kicking
team player will be subject to an additional 15 or 25-yard penalty, regardless of
whether the ball had struck the ground.
Deliberately standing within the 5 yard circle can fall under this rule:
(d) if a kicking team player is making no attempt to withdraw from the 5-yard zone,
and is hovering over the ball or the receiving team player about to take possession
of the ball, a 15-yard penalty will apply regardless whether the ball bounced.
The second rule (d) is what Jim Barker kept bugging the sideline official about in the mic’d up game.
I could not blame any team for taking a 5 yard…15 yard…well, that is another thing. I am not saying go crank the guy. I am not saying encroach when it is in the air. I am saying down the ball or make the tackle once it hits the ground. I don’t care about a 5 yard penalty on a kick.
What's wrong with nailing the punt returner if it's only going to be a 5 yard penalty?
According to league rules, if a tackler makes no attempt to vacate the 5-yard restraining zone around a punt returner, the kicking team can be assessed a 15-yard penalty even if the ball bounces on the ground. If a tackler were to "take out" the punt returner before he touches the ball, I believe the kicking team can be assessed a 25-yard penalty...that's whats wrong with it.