Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire NFL Rules Part II

He, with trepidation, peeks around the corner to find the room empty of people. Timidly, he enters the room, glancing about him at the carnage left from his last question. He quietly states the following case: "We have a slot right formation. The wideout runs a fly pattern, the slotback runs a mid-range out, the tight end drags across from the left, the 3-back fakes through the 4-hole, and the 4-back runs a wheel route to the right. The quarterback is destroyed by a blitz off the slot side. At contact, his arm is moving forward. The force of the collison causes the ball (untouched by the defender) to fly from his grasp toward the left sideline. This, as we all know, is an incomplete pass." Then, glutton for punishment that he is, he continues: "Since all elgible receivers are on the right side of the field, either moving straight downfield or toward the right sideline, and the ball is thrown (by definition)to the left side of the field, do we have intentional grounding?" He then ducks and covers his head awaiting the richly deserved retribution that is headed his way.

I'm going to have read this about 4 times in order to respond. And will.

For now---where is Rex Grossman when he throws?

No, the defender determined the path of the ball.

What in hell are you doing with a tight end on the weak side?

Is the QB inside the tackles or outside?

Inside

incomplete pass

Intentional grounding is called only when the Official determines that the QB threw the ball due to "imminent pressure" from the defense, to avoid a loss of yardage. Getting your clock cleaned is not "imminent;" the QB has to be aware of the pressure.

Since the QB's arm is moving forward, it becomes an incomplete pass, regardless of whether there were any eligible receivers in the vicinity of where the ball landed.

Maybe the NFL should become a no contact flag football sport.

I'll add: unless it was James Harrison rushing then it is a personal foul, 15 yard penalty, fine, and suspension.

Or Richard Seymore. But, did you notice both are in the pro bowl?

RE the question, IMO Mako25 hit it on the head. Since the defender determined the direction of the ball with his hit, it is merely an incomplete pass. One would have to know somehow that the quarterback was intending to throw in the direction of no recievers to call intentional grounding and there is no way for anyone but him to know that, and he ain't tellin!

Left handed QB = incomplete pass.
Right handed QB = grounding.

Refs are going to assume the QB (if right handed) saw the blitz coming from his right. Unless the blitzing defender appeared to change the trajectory of the ball to the left, I would say grounding is likely.