09-11-2016, 03:24 AM
It would help if you knew more about a specific penalty that made you think of this.
By their nature, some penalties nullify a play, therefore the penalty is assessed from the previous line of scrimmage. For example, false start, illegal formation, encroachment, and holding penalties would all nullify a play.
Other penalties occur during plays that don't need to be nullified. A block in the back during a kick return is an example of a from-the-spot foul. For example, if there is a 60-yard kick return, and a foul occurs 50 yards into the return, it wouldn't be fair to wipe out the whole return. In that case, the penalty is assessed from where the foul happened.
One "spot" penalty in the NFL that many people hate is Pass Interference, where a long throw can turn into a really long penalty. Interfering with a receiver 40 yards down the field would mean a 40 yard penalty. Because you can't know for sure that the receiver would have caught the ball, many people (myself included) wish it would be more like a 15-yard maximum penalty.
By their nature, some penalties nullify a play, therefore the penalty is assessed from the previous line of scrimmage. For example, false start, illegal formation, encroachment, and holding penalties would all nullify a play.
Other penalties occur during plays that don't need to be nullified. A block in the back during a kick return is an example of a from-the-spot foul. For example, if there is a 60-yard kick return, and a foul occurs 50 yards into the return, it wouldn't be fair to wipe out the whole return. In that case, the penalty is assessed from where the foul happened.
One "spot" penalty in the NFL that many people hate is Pass Interference, where a long throw can turn into a really long penalty. Interfering with a receiver 40 yards down the field would mean a 40 yard penalty. Because you can't know for sure that the receiver would have caught the ball, many people (myself included) wish it would be more like a 15-yard maximum penalty.