The NY Jets had one penalty on 12/25/06, on a punt. What was the penalty and how was the yardage calculated?

Question

Having recorded the game for my own home use off of ESPN, I watched the play in slo-mo on my own tape. Leon Washington returned a punt past midfield. I did not see where the penalty was assessed. The TV announcers were busy with an interview when the officials were explaining the penalty on the field, and the camera was focused on them instead of being focused on the field, so I did not see the officials' signals of the penalty. The camera returned to the field and the Jets had the ball many yards behind where Leon Washington had been tackled. I've checked various box scores and articles, and all they say is that the Jets were penalized back to their own 30 yard line. I'm just trying to understand what the penalty was for, and why the yardage wasn't something more like 10 yards or 15 yards. Thanks for any explanation you can give me.

Answer 1

4-5-MIA20 (6:52) D.Jones punts 38 yards to NYJ 42, Center-J.Denney. L.Washington to MIA 47 for 11 yards (J.Denney).
PENALTY on NYJ-B.Kassell, Offensive Holding, 12 yards, enforced at NYJ 42.

The holding either had to have occurred while the kick was in the air (penalized from the spot of the start of the return, the NYJ 42) or was a spot foul at the NYJ 42. The discrepancy (12 yards instead of 10 yards) is likely the result of the official marking the penalty off from the wrong spot (the NYJ 40) while the box score online is reporting the correct start and end of the return and the correct spot after enforcement of the penalty.

Answer 2

I vaguely remember, but I think it was a block in the back. The Jets were penalized from the spot of the foul, so 10 to 15 yards would have been marked off from that point.

Answer 3

all the people saying 99 yards are wrong. it's 98 yards, because the worst field position you can have is your own 1 yard line. (anything inside the 1 is still considered to be the 1) if you could somehow throw the ball from there to the other teams end zone (so far, there's never been an NFL QB capable of throwing it that far) the ball would be placed at the 1 yard line in the case of a pass interference penaly. that's 98 yards, not 99.

Answer 4

Im not 100% sure of this, but I believe it was illegal contact and spot of the foul. Now this may be a different play and if it is im sorry....im at work, and i dont have TVO on me, trying to remember!!

Answer 5

If they took it back that far it was more than likely a spot foul, like holding or a block in the back.