Breaking the plane

[SWC75]

I saw one of these 'wiggle' plays today, where a guy going for the front corner of the end zone is force out of bounds but sticks the ball out toward the pilon and wiggles it to catch the ref's eye and gets rewarded with a touchdown. I also saw a pass to the back of the end zone disallowed because the receiver's foot had caught a toe on the end-line. What if he'd held the ball behind the line? Hasn't he broke the plane?

Actually, I'm going to argue in the opposite direction. Shouldn't the guy waving the ball at the pilon have to get a foot into the end zone or touch it with another body part if he's being tackled into the end zone? Why should it be about the ball in one case and the foot in the other? Shouldn't the player have gotten into the end zone, as well as the ball?

 

[sufandu]

In the first scenario the player is in bounds possessing the ball prior to breaking the plane. The ball is always placed at the position of the ball when a player is tackled or forced out of bounds, as best the refs can assess. That's why guys will also hold the ball out when going out of bounds close to the first down marker.

In the second scenario the player never possessed the ball since he was out of bounds, so it never really advanced beyond the line of scrimmage, just like any other incomplete pass. If the ball never advanced, it can't cross the plane.