Statistical Question

[CraigRye]

I have just been looking at the Gamebook for the Dolphins @ Browns game from this weekend. Specifically the penalties. I believe there is an error.
The gamebook reports the penalties for Cleveland to be 9 for 84 yards. When I add their penalties up I get it to be 9 for 94 yards. It appears the issue is around an Unnecessary Roughness penalty in Q2 on J.Proche. This was on a Jake Bailey punt which went into the end zone. The official play-by-play has this as a 15 yard penalty with Cleveland starting their possession at their own 5 yard line.
The first half stats show Cleveland's penalties as 3 for 27 yards. The other two penalties were an Offensive Holding penalty on W.Teller for 9 yards and a DPI on M.Emerson for 13 yards.
Just to add to the confusion Pro Football Reference has in it's play-by-play that the Unnecessary Roughness penalty was for 5 yards. Is there a reason for this or is it an error in the Official gamebook?

[rhickok1109]

I have just been looking at the Gamebook for the Dolphins @ Browns game from this weekend. Specifically the penalties. I believe there is an error.
The gamebook reports the penalties for Cleveland to be 9 for 84 yards. When I add their penalties up I get it to be 9 for 94 yards. It appears the issue is around an Unnecessary Roughness penalty in Q2 on J.Proche. This was on a Jake Bailey punt which went into the end zone. The official play-by-play has this as a 15 yard penalty with Cleveland starting their possession at their own 5 yard line.
The first half stats show Cleveland's penalties as 3 for 27 yards. The other two penalties were an Offensive Holding penalty on W.Teller for 9 yards and a DPI on M.Emerson for 13 yards.
Just to add to the confusion Pro Football Reference has in it's play-by-play that the Unnecessary Roughness penalty was for 5 yards. Is there a reason for this or is it an error in the Official gamebook?

It sounds like a half-the-distance-to-the-goal penalty, an infraction committed at the receiving team's 10-yard line.

[TodMaher]

I have just been looking at the Gamebook for the Dolphins @ Browns game from this weekend. Specifically the penalties. I believe there is an error.
The gamebook reports the penalties for Cleveland to be 9 for 84 yards. When I add their penalties up I get it to be 9 for 94 yards. It appears the issue is around an Unnecessary Roughness penalty in Q2 on J.Proche. This was on a Jake Bailey punt which went into the end zone. The official play-by-play has this as a 15 yard penalty with Cleveland starting their possession at their own 5 yard line.
The first half stats show Cleveland's penalties as 3 for 27 yards. The other two penalties were an Offensive Holding penalty on W.Teller for 9 yards and a DPI on M.Emerson for 13 yards.
Just to add to the confusion Pro Football Reference has in it's play-by-play that the Unnecessary Roughness penalty was for 5 yards. Is there a reason for this or is it an error in the Official gamebook?

It sounds like a half-the-distance-to-the-goal penalty, an infraction committed at the receiving team's 10-yard line.

Looks like a "bug" in the PBP software - most likely due to it being a touchback. There are so many variables that can happen on any given football play that now and then one that the programmers didn't consider pops up.

[CraigRye]

Agree with you @TodMaher. I don't think it could be half the distance penalty from the 10 as we all know a Touchback comes out to the 20 yard line. I have contacted Pro Football Reference to see if they are willing to contact the NFL about it.

[rhickok1109]

Agree with you @TodMaher. I don't think it could be half the distance penalty from the 10 as we all know a Touchback comes out to the 20 yard line. I have contacted Pro Football Reference to see if they are willing to contact the NFL about it.

If the infraction was committed at the 10-yard line, the penalty would be half the distance to the goal from that spot, not from the 20-yard line.

[CraigRye]

Agree with you @TodMaher. I don't think it could be half the distance penalty from the 10 as we all know a Touchback comes out to the 20 yard line. I have contacted Pro Football Reference to see if they are willing to contact the NFL about it.

If the infraction was committed at the 10-yard line, the penalty would be half the distance to the goal from that spot, not from the 20-yard line.

You are totally correct. I just went back and watched the footage for this play, Proche made a fair catch signal at the 10 and let the ball bounce into the endzone for a touchback. He was called for unnecessary roughness after making a block despite making the fair catch signal. So the 15 yard penalty was enforced half the distance to the goal from the spot of the foul at the 10, making it a 5 yard penalty.
I just assumed that as it was touchback the penalty was enforced from there...