How can these millionaire players not know the rules?

In every situation you mentioned the ball carrier had possession of the ball making it a safety. In Johnson's case he touched the ball but never possessed it, so if he would have ran back and recovered the ball it would have been a touchback. Momentum of the ball on a muff is also considered. If the officials rule that the ball would have gone into the endzone whether it was touched or not, then if the returner runs back and recovers the ball then it's a touchback. Of course if the kicking team recovers it in the endzone then it's a TD.

 

If You are on offense, it is.

 

IMO its still a Safety as once the ball lands in the landing zone it belongs to the KR team thus becoming a live ball and a live ball fumbled into the end zone and then batted out the back or side by the KR Team would be a Safety.. Basically if the kicking Team can recover it for a TD then the return Team can collect a Safety as well..

Anyway will just have to wait and see if it happens and how the refs deal with that situation..

 

And to me the rules read landing zone live ball and you can not fair catch as I said if the Kicking Team can score then the KR Team must be able to create a Safety in my mind ..Had KJ hustled and knocked it out we would already know..

 

Too be honest, I can't keep up with all the rule changes on the kick off anymore, every time I get used to a new rule on the kickoff, it seems to be changed, but I thought he touched it, and therefore he should have gotten on it.

 

Tomlin has benched Kaleb from kick return duty

Kaleb Johnson will be given another chance to return kickoffs for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Someday.

Just not this week against the New England Patriots.

Two days after Johnson’s mental mistake resulted in a touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks that contributed to a 31-17 loss, coach Mike Tomlin said he is removing the rookie running back from a return role.

When might Johnson resume returning kicks?

“Probably not in the short term,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “I’m certainly going to give him an opportunity to work his way back from that error. I believe in his talent. He’s a sharp young man. He’s a hard worker. You leave the light on for him to give him an opportunity to move on from it, but he has to do that.

“He has to display that with his daily work. He has to earn himself back in a position to be a participant. We’ll see where the road leads us.”

 

I would think he needs some carries as a RB.
We need a power run game to show up.
But if he's screwing that up in practice.. well, I dunno.

 

Yes mistakes happen, Foster, Cowher mentioned Plax as a rookie running for a TD and dropping the ball untouched, multitudes of mistakes throughout the NFL land scape. These guys are pros, but also are for the most part young, in the midst of 'battle', and the adrenalin and emotion rushing through the brain is deep. Should he have known, no doubt. Could a young man feeling the pressure of a slow start, in a position he has not played much since yearly college have anything to do with a dumb decision, maybe.

I am not equating him with Franco, but in his first couple of games he looked like a 'bust', then to the league by storm and won rookie of the year. Do I expect that from Johnson, no, but lets hold the over reactions a bit.

 

Not sure if I am 'overreacting'
I'm totally in agreement with you.

 

That remark was to the many reactions Johnson got and has received to the start of his career.