BESS Muffed Punt Question

[CarolinaFin]

When Bess muffed the punt ater calling for a fair catch, the ball went through his hands hit a knee? pad bounced and was touched by a Jet BEFORE the ball hit the ground.

Did'nt a similar play occur earlier this year, only the punting team caught the ball off the ricochet....

The ball in the earlier case was given back to the receiving team because they did not get to finish the Fair catch.

Can someone clear up the difference for me?

 

[Sofla328]

yea i remember that call.
Not sure what game it was, but what they called in that game was that the Returner has a right to the ball, and the defender interfered with that right. The returner called fair catch, the ball bounced off his chest and the defender was about a half yard-a yard away and it bounced right to him. The reasoning would have been that the the receiver still has a right to it since it was still in his proximity and he probably might have been able to pull it back in, and the defender did reach out a bit for it. I thought it was a pritty BS call. But Bess's muff was clearly a muff, it bounced down his body, hit the ground and rolled a yard or two or three and then a jet fell on it.

 

[3rdandinches]

It's only if the ball is still catchable by the returner, which Bess's drop was not. If it hit his knee and popped up that he could still catch it then he has that right and any interference would result in Miami ball and penalty yards.