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Ty Montgomery Exploits Football Loophole to Pick Up 37 Yards

Instead of starting with the ball on the 3-yard line, Ty Montgomery used this trick to place the ball on the 40.

By Matt Vassar

Leave it to a Stanford alum to find and exploit an NFL loophole that allowed him to make a monster gain and set up his team for a touchdown. Ty Montgomery made the 37-yard play for the Green Bay Packers not because of his athleticism, but because of this:

On the kickoff, the Detroit Lions sprung the ball to the three-yard line. Montgomery stepped out of bounds and dove on top of the ball while his feet remained out of bounds.

NFL rules dictate that if the ball comes into contact with a player that is out of bounds, the ball is considered out of bounds as well. And since Montgomery kept his feet out of bounds, the ball was whistled dead.

The Lions were then penalized for kicking the ball out of bounds, and instead of starting on the 3-yard line, the Packers got the ball on the 40. Four players later, they'd score a touchdown.

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