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Wait…What Just Happened : Intentional Grounding

That the first Niners-Rams meeting ended in a tie was a surprise – the first tie in the NFL since 2008. But that the second meeting almost ended in a tie too…well, that’s just nearly unbelievable.

But that’s what happened!

And that’s why we love the NFL. Best reality TV on TV.

Thankfully, Greg the Leg won the game for the Rams with thirty seconds left in overtime and prevented general mayhem from erupting in the NFC West.

The Niners helped the Rams score two points on their way to the eventual overtime victory. Let’s define a few things and then get into what happened.

The Rams earned their first two points of the game off of a safety scored due to a penalty for intentional grounding in the end zone. That’s a lot of verbiage. So one step at a time:

A safety is when an offensive player who has possession of the football is tackled in his own end zone. When this happens, the defense is awarded two points.

Intentional grounding happens when the quarterback is being pressured and chooses to get rid of the football (“throw it away”) rather than hold the football while being sacked. He would choose to do that because if he holds onto the football when he is sacked the ball will be spotted wherever the sack occurred, which is usually well behind the line of scrimmage and results in a lot of lost yardage for the offense. (For example, if the offense was originally lined up on the 30 yard line on 1st and 10 and the QB was sacked with the ball at the 20 yard line, the next down and distance would be 2nd and 20. It’s second down and the offense lost 10 yards on the previous play, so they now have 20 total yards to go to get a first down.) But if he throws it away in the vicinity of a receiver and it’s a catchable ball, it’s an incomplete pass and the ball goes back to the original line of scrimmage. (For example, if the offense was originally at the 30 yard line and the QB throws it away while under pressure, the next down and distance would be 2nd and 10 because it’s second down and the ball will be spotted at the original line of scrimmage, so the offense still has 10 yards to go to get a first down.)

However, if the quarterback throws the ball away “without a realistic chance of completion“ (a judgement call by the refs), he gets called for intentional grounding, which is a loss of down plus a ten yard penalty. (So, using our 1st and 10, 30 yard line example from above, the next play would be 2nd and 20: loss of down (from first down to second down) and a ten yard penalty (from 1st and 10 to 2nd and 20). If intentional grounding occurs in the end zone, it’s an automatic safety for the defense, a 2 point score.

That’s what happened to San Francisco yesterday.

Niners QB Colin Kaepernick was pressured in the end zone. He was being chased by multiple Rams defensive players and decided to throw the ball away instead of getting sacked in the end zone for a safety. However, in throwing it away to no one, he was called for intentional grounding, which also results in a safety.

And thus the Rams were awarded their first two points in the 13-13 tie that led to an overtime win. Tough break for a rookie QB.

Make sense?

Game Play Thursday : The Wildcat

Chances are, most of you live in the northeast. Mostly because chances are, most of you are my direct friends and family. (Hi, guys!) So there’s a high probability that you’ve heard reference of the wildcat formation, which seems to have received a lot of attention from the AFC East in recent years.

The Miami Dolphins liberally employed it in the 2008 season and the Jets had the highly-debated option to use it this season with Tim Tebow, an option they probably would have benefited from. (As for the other AFC East teams, the Pats have Brady and the Bills are the Bills…so that’s the end of that.)

So what is the wildcat?

I could give you the easy way out and tell you that the wildcat formation is when someone other than the quarterback takes the snap. But there are two flaws in that explanation. 1. It’s not true (but widely accepted anyway because it’s the easiest way to think of the wildcat). And 2. You are smart enough to learn the real formation. I’m not going to underestimate your intelligence in learning or mine in explaining. So here we go!

Let’s start with the shotgun. The shotgun formation is a typical offensive formation in college and NFL football in which the quarterback takes the snap from 5-7 yards behind the center. It’s one that you’re likely to see on any given weekend. I made this illustration to break the formation down into units so that you can clearly see who/where everyone is: the circles are offensive linemen, the squares are skill position players, and the hexagon is the quarterback.

It’s not perfect…and it’s why I’m learning how to use Photoshop! Better illustrations coming soon.

So the shotgun formation employs all the usual suspects where they are typically located: the offensive line is where they always are, the tight end is lined up on the offensive line to help block, the wide receiver on the tight end’s side (aka: the flanker) is about a yard off the line, the wide receiver on the other side (aka: the split end) is on the line, and two running backs are lined up just in front of the QB.

In the Wildcat Formation, three things generally happen:

1. A skill position players takes the snap. Usually, a running back.

2. The motion is a jet sweep. I can sense your question marks from across cyber space. Stay with me, here! We haven’t talked about motion/formations a whole lot yet, but fear not! We’re not going to break it all down right now, but basically, “motion” means that one player (and only one player – any more than that is an illegal motion) is moving at the time of the snap. A “sweep” is when a player (usually a running back) is running parallel to the line of scrimmage so that the offensive line can block for him. In the jet sweep, the motion called in the wildcat formation, a player (usually a running back) takes off in a dead sprint to receive the handoff and either keeps going in a run play or takes off in a fake.

How are we doing?

Not too bad, right?

Ok, part three:

3. The offensive line is unbalanced. Remember the formation of the offensive line above? The typical center in the middle, the guards on either side of him, and the tackles outside of the guards? That’s a balanced line. In the wildcat formation, the line is unbalanced. Everyone is still on the line, but in different places.

Let’s see how this works. Here’s a basic wildcat formation:

Let’s take a look at what’s different from the shotgun formation.

1. Where’s the QB? You’ll notice that there is no hexagon in this diagram, because the quarterback is usually not on the field in the wildcat formation. He is replaced by a skill position player, usually a tight end, who often gets added to the offensive line to be an extra blocker.

2. A running back is taking the snap. See the running back farthest back? Lined up directly behind center? He’ll be getting the ball snapped to him.

3. The line is unbalanced. The center is not in the middle, the guards are not outside of him, and the tackles are not outside of the guards.

Now, using what we learned about the definitions of a wildcat play above, let’s see what this would look like when the ball is snapped:

Let’s line it up against our three keys for a wildcat play:

1. A skill position players takes the snap. Done. The running back lined up behind the center is taking the snap.

2. The motion is a jet sweep. Check. The other running back on the left is running a jet sweep. In this play, he’ll be running a fake and the other running back will be running the ball upfield through the gap provided for him between the guards.

3. The offensive line is unbalanced. Yep! We’re so over this; we know where they usually line up and know that they’re jumbled in this play. Done.

So now you’ve got it. I know you’ve got it! And you’ll be able to explain the wildcat in fine form to anyone who asks…probably more efficiently than anyone else in the room. Have fun!

Questions/comments/concerns? Leave ’em in the comments and let’s chat!

(A special thanks to this source and this source and this source for helping make this tutorial much less harrowing.)

Wait…What Just Happened? : Coach’s Challenge

You may have tuned into the Texans at Lions game on Thanksgiving and witnessed the enforcement of one of the weirder rules that exists in the NFL these days involving the coach’s challenge.

On the play in question, Texans running back Justin Forsett was clearly down – his elbow and knee both touching the field – but the whistle never blew, which meant the play was still live. Kudos to Forsett, who had the awareness to get up and keep running…all 81 yards to score a touchdown.

Under normal circumstances, this play would have been reviewed and called back. There’s no way that call would have stood. There are a number of plays that are automatically reviewed by the Replay Official. They include:

all scoring plays
interceptions
fumbles
backward passes that are recovered by an opponent or go out of bounds through an opponent’s end zone
muffed scrimmage kicks recovered by the kicking team
any questionable plays after the two-minute warning of each half
any questionable plays throughout any overtime period

So, here’s the sequence of normal events:

1. A play is made that results in a touchdown.

2. The scoring play is reviewed upstairs because all scoring plays are reviewed to be sure everything was kosher and the play actually resulted in the score awarded (feet in-bounds, control of the ball, etc).

But that’s not what happened on Thursday. Seeing that the play was ruled a touchdown, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz (understandably) flipped and threw the red coaches challenge flag. (Coaches get two challenges per game. If they are wrong about the play in question, they are charged one time out. If they are right, the call is reversed. If they are right both times, they earn an extra challenge.) However, a scoring play is among the plays that are automatically reviewed by the Replay Official. That means that it is NOT able to be challenged by a coach, and there is a hefty penalty for throwing the challenge flag anyway: a 15 yard penalty, AND the play is no longer reviewable. The ruling on the field stands. This is what happened to Jim Schwartz on Thanksgiving.

1. Justin Forsett’s play was ruled a touchdown.

2. Jim Schwartz believed that Forsett was down 81 yards ago and throws the challenge flag.

3. Since the play would have been reviewed anyway and the gesture of throwing the challenge flag is seen as a delay of game tactic, a 15 yard penalty was enforced and the play was rendered unreviewable. The ruling on the field stood, even though it was clearly wrong.

So the Texans earned a touchdown that would have been overturned, and went on to win 34-31 in overtime. It stands to reason that if the call had been reversed, the outcome of the game would have been very different.

It’s a pretty harsh rule, admittedly. So much so that the NFL came out and said they’re going to change it in the off-season, or potentially sooner. I think everyone is in agreement that it’s a good idea.

Wait…What Just Happened : Touchdown?

If you are trying to learn what constitutes a legal touchdown, the final scoring play of the Chargers/Broncos game was probably less than helpful.

Chargers WR Danario Alexander caught the ball on the 3 yard line and made an excellent effort to dive into the end zone, which he did. But while he was in the process of falling into the end zone, he lost control of the football on the ground before recovering possession again at the end of the play.

Now, in games past, this has been ruled as an incomplete pass. It’s weird, but so are a lot of things about the NFL. We just go with it. As per the NFL rule book,

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

Since the ball touched the ground on this play, it should have been ruled an incomplete pass. Since this play was reviewed after the fact and the commentators explained the rule and Twitter erupted in “No TD” tweets and the coaches and players on the Chargers sideline all looked dejected knew the original TD call was going to be called back…it even more so should have been ruled an incomplete pass. And yet, the ruling on the field stands: touchdown.

Sometimes, there are no explanations.

Game Play Thursday : The Pocket

Let’s talk about what it means for a quarterback to be “in the pocket.” Which, like many phrases in football, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense until you understand what the theory behind it is. So let’s dive in!

The quarterback plays behind the offensive line.

Who is the offensive line, you ask?

All of you training camp pros already know the answer! But just as a refresher, the offensive line is a five man wall. The offensive line is NOT everyone on the offense who is on the line of scrimmage. There will be seven players lined up there, five linemen and two skill players, usually wide receivers. The offensive line consists of the Center, who is, understandably, in the center of the line. He’s the one who snaps the ball to the QB. On both sides of the Center are the two Guards, the Right Guard and Left Guard, respectively. The Right and Left Tackles play outside of the Guards. So your offensive line looks like this from left to right: LT LG C RG RT. Got it?

The offensive line is generally stocked with huge guys, 300 lbs and above, and their sole initiative is to block the defensive players in front of them. Not only does this allow the quarterback time to read the defense and decide where to go with the ball, it also gives him protection from defensive players whose sole initiative is to knock him flat on the ground. Thus, on most occassions, it’s best if the QB stays in the pocket, the area behind the line of scrimmage that spans the offensive line from Left Tackle to Right Tackle.

So, quick review: when a quarterback is “inside the pocket” he is behind the wall of protection formed by his five offensive lineman. You’ll also hear that a quarterback is “stepping up into the pocket,” which means he is stepping up to throw the ball from within the protection of the pocket. When a quarterback leaves the pocket, not only is he in open danger of getting sacked by a defensive player, he also needs to be sure not to throw an illegal forward pass by throwing the ball while standing in front of the line of scrimmage, which is where the offensive line originally lined up.

Now that you know a few things about the pocket, let’s look at this illustration. What’s wrong with it?

photo credit : football for dummies

The Tight End! I know you got it right!

Technically, the pocket is defined as the wall built by the offensive line, from the left tackle to the right tackle. So even though tight ends (TE) can and often do block as part of the offensive line, he’s not really part of the classic pocket. If his assignment is to block: great. He’ll help protect the QB and be part of the pocket for all intents and purposes on that play. But if his assignment is to run a slant route to the sideline or block a linebacker further up the field, he won’t be anywhere near the offensive line once the ball is snapped and therefore won’t be used as part of the pocket.

Don’t you feel so much smarter already?!

If there is ever a topic you’d like to discuss on Game Play Thursday (or any time!) please just leave a comment or send me an email through the contact form! I’ll be happy to learn more about it and help us all get a better understanding!

Wait…What Just Happened : Ties

Yesterday, something happened in the NFL that hasn’t happened in four years.

The Titans blew out an opponent.

Just kidding. Cheap Titans shot on a Monday morning. I’m writing this pre-coffee so I’m feeling a little snappy. (FYI – The Titans did blow out the Dolphins yesterday, 37-3. Perhaps their seats felt mighty hot after last week.)

But the thing that actually happened was a tie. The Niners and Rams ended the allotted 15 minutes of overtime with a score of 24-24. Which, honestly, feels less like shared victory and more like “Why does this even exist as a possibility?” It seemed like that was also the sentiment of most of the players in their post-game interviews.

Let’s put aside the fact that this was just a weird game from the get-go full of clock errors and mind-boggling penalties and missed opportunities on both sides to win the game handily. Let’s just focus on how exactly a tie happens and what it means in the long term.

OVERTIME RULES:

When the score is tied, the game goes into overtime. Captains go out to the middle of the field, a coin is flipped, and whoever wins the toss chooses to either receive (offense) or defend (defense). I’m not sure why a team would choose to defend under these conditions, but that’s neither here nor here.

Thanks to the new overtime rules, both teams get a chance to possess the ball UNLESS the team on offense scores a touchdown on their first possession, in which case they win the game. Let’s use the Rams and the 49ers as an example.

If the Rams win the toss and elect to receive and score a touchdown on their first possession, they win.

If the Rams score a field goal, the Niners have an opportunity to either win the game with a touchdown or tie with a field goal. If the 49ers do not score, the Rams win the game.

If the Ram do not score on their opening drive and the 49ers score either a field goal or a touchdown, they win the game.

If the Rams do not score on their first possession and the Niners do not score on their first possession then the ball goes back to the Rams and overtime continues until 15 minutes have elapsed.

If the score is still tied after 15 minutes, the result is a tie, which is what happened yesterday.

Make sense?

Ok, so here’s what that means:

TIEBREAKERS AND PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

Tie games count as one-half win and one-half loss for both clubs (as per the NFL rule book). To get to the playoffs, the first place team from each division are automatically seeded (8 teams). The remaining 4 teams are wildcard teams, the two teams from each conference with the best record after the top seeds.

But what if there’s a tie?

This is where things get complicated. See: this.

For today, since I’m not confident that I have a firm grasp on how tiebreakers are decided in every situation, let’s just focus on yesterday’s game and what it could mean for the Niners and the Rams.

This situation is dicey because the teams both play in the NFC West. This means that they’re competing for the best record to get the NFC West playoff spot. Right now, the Niners are 6-2-1 (6 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie). The Rams are 3-5-1. It seems unlikely that their record would be the same at the end of the season unless the Niners collapse and the Rams excel, but it’s possible. If at the end of the season the Niners and the Rams led the division with a tied 10-5-1 record, here’s what would happen (again courtesy of the NFL rule book):

Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Strength of victory.
Strength of schedule.
Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
Best net points in common games.
Best net points in all games.
Best net touchdowns in all games.
Coin toss

Isn’t it crazy that in the NFL…a multi-billion dollar industry…the end result could potentially come down to a coin toss?! Crazy. CRAZY.

Now, let’s rewind a minute and say that the Rams and Niners were tied atop the division with an 11-5 record. The same rules apply, it’s just less complicated because they’d have a clear head-to-head victory to factor into the equation, a luxury that ties do not afford.

Basically, ties are the wet blanket of the NFL. It seems odd that in every other level of football – Pop Warner, high school, college – you play until someone wins the game. Shouldn’t it be the same in the highest level of the game? In my opinion: oh my land, yes. Beyond avoiding confusion and the empty meaning of ending in a tie, overtime games are the height of intensity in the regular season. Knowing that all of the effort and anticipation and enthusiasm could ultimately lead to a no-winner…it feels like squelching the fire.

Potential future rule change? Let’s hope so.