Cowboys/Niners Strategy Question

[WhatJustHappened]

Weak period, why are we discussing this crap

 

[Pape]

If you’re going to come up with a really cool play, Prescott could have actually turned around and thrown the ball out of bounds, as a “lateral.” The play would be legal.

To stop running like that may be too difficult, but any WR could have caught a pass crossing over the middle and then thrown the ball backwards a few yards to the sidelines.

Unless I’m misunderstanding the rules, I believe that would be a legal play. A backwards lateral does not need to be intended for anyone, and I believe it would be treated as a fumble oob.

IF that's true, the Pats need to do that very thing vs Baltimore.

 

[1960Pats]

Really good question

What would Josh prefer if it was the Pats?

 

[1960Pats]

At that point of the game your primary concern is the clock; yardage is secondary.

The decision to run up the middle of the field was questionable. He only needed a yard for a first down. There's zero chance of running for a TD. The furthest Prescott should have run was to the 30.


To answer the OP's question, from the 41 the smart play is to get some yardage and then a closer shot at the end zone. It was just poorly executed, or perhaps not communicated/reinforced enough about the need to finish the play earlier.

Mike McCarthy has a history of poor to questionable clock management, so I'm guessing that was never discussed.

I could tell by the sheepish way McCarthy responded to questions that you're probably correct about him not discussing all of the possibilities. If that's Bill he goes over every detail and the players know what to do.

 

[Sciz]

If you’re going to come up with a really cool play, Prescott could have actually turned around and thrown the ball out of bounds, as a “lateral.” The play would be legal.

To stop running like that may be too difficult, but any WR could have caught a pass crossing over the middle and then thrown the ball backwards a few yards to the sidelines.

Unless I’m misunderstanding the rules, I believe that would be a legal play. A backwards lateral does not need to be intended for anyone, and I believe it would be treated as a fumble oob.

A team is not permitted to conserve time inside of one minute of either half by committing any of the following acts:
...
(d) throwing a backward pass out of bounds
...
Penalty: For Illegally Conserving Time: Loss of 5 yards unless a larger distance penalty is applicable.
When actions referred to above are committed by the offensive team while time is in, officials will run 10 seconds off the game clock

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/7_Rule4_Game_Timing.pdf

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

A team is not permitted to conserve time inside of one minute of either half by committing any of the following acts:
...
(d) throwing a backward pass out of bounds
...
Penalty: For Illegally Conserving Time: Loss of 5 yards unless a larger distance penalty is applicable.
When actions referred to above are committed by the offensive team while time is in, officials will run 10 seconds off the game clock

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/7_Rule4_Game_Timing.pdf

Just because you have you have “research” and “facts” doesn’t make your opinion more valid than my opinion. My brother’s wife’s friend’s dad is an NFL rules expert and said I’m right. So delete this post, you jerk.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

IF that's true, the Pats need to do that very thing vs Baltimore.

It’s definitely true and @Sciz lies about everything. You should put him on ignore right now and not read any of his posts in this thread.

 

[Pape]

A team is not permitted to conserve time inside of one minute of either half by committing any of the following acts:
...
(d) throwing a backward pass out of bounds
...
Penalty: For Illegally Conserving Time: Loss of 5 yards unless a larger distance penalty is applicable.
When actions referred to above are committed by the offensive team while time is in, officials will run 10 seconds off the game clock

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/7_Rule4_Game_Timing.pdf

It’s definitely true and @Sciz lies about everything. You should put him on ignore right now and not read any of his posts in this thread.

So ... If I am reading this right... I think we discovered a loophole... a perfectly perpendicular pass, not forward, or backwards, but thrown in a perpendicular path from the ball carrier to the sideline should be legal...

 

[oceansizer]

I know.one thing for sure, Deebo is a monster. A player similar to him in Pats uniform would be awesome. His strength, speed and flexibility is amazing.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

So ... If I am reading this right... I think we discovered a loophole... a perfectly perpendicular pass, not forward, or backwards, but thrown in a perpendicular path from the ball carrier to the sideline should be legal...

Exactly what I said before the mods edited my post, as usual.

 

[sean10mm]

I think the play was a bad call mainly because it's just too...fussy? The runner has to run far enough to make the play worthwhile, but not so far that time runs out 1-2 seconds too soon. Nobody can slip or bump into anybody or bobble the ball. The ref has to get in position fast enough, they can't trip or bump into anybody, hell if they're just feeling lackadaisical that day time runs out and you die.

Like maybe if you really did drill the hell out of that play I get it, but the Cowboys botched it as if they'd never heard of the play at all until a few seconds before the snap. Dak ran too far, everybody got in their own way and the ref's way and acted like they could set the ball and snap it without the ref at all.

 

[XLIX]

They should have taken a shot at the end zone. I understand the idea to run it up the middle given how SF was defending the play (see picture below, they had 3 men on each sideline in a defensive formation I don't think I have ever seen before).

My personal theory is that Dak saw all that space in front of him and decided to be the hero. I don't believe McCarthy/Moore called QB draw. The WR's were running routes, not blocking.

he

 

[XLIX]

If you’re going to come up with a really cool play, Prescott could have actually turned around and thrown the ball out of bounds, as a “lateral.” The play would be legal.

To stop running like that may be too difficult, but any WR could have caught a pass crossing over the middle and then thrown the ball backwards a few yards to the sidelines.

Unless I’m misunderstanding the rules, I believe that would be a legal play. A backwards lateral does not need to be intended for anyone, and I believe it would be treated as a fumble oob.

If the ref sees it as deliberate (and inside 2:00), that's a 5 yard penalty and 10 second runoff.
If it happened to be (in the ref's judgement) a legit fumble backwards out of bounds, the clock is supposed to keep running.

EDIT: Oops, this point was already mentioned above. Apologies for the redundancy. Apologies for the redundancy.