Re: Odd play in Sea/Balt game today

"Rick Lindsley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> As Seattle was melting down and play in regulation came to conclusion,
> and odd variation of an obscure rule came into play.  Thought I'd query
> here as to clarification.
>
> Baltimore has the ball and needs a FG to tie. No timeouts.  They
> complete a pass well downfield (and well within fieldgoal range) but
> with only ten or eleven seconds left on the clock.  Everybody has to
> hustle down there and line up for the spike.  At 4 seconds, the ball is
> snapped and the clock stops.  But a flag flies out as well.  Seems the
> tight end had lined up sideways, facing the quarterback instead of with
> two feet square to the line of scrimmage.  Illegal procedure.  They mark
> off a 5-yard penalty, and, with the clock stopped for the penalty they
> have plenty of time to get the field goal team on the field and kick the
> game-tying field goal.
>
> Under what conditions are there supposed to be a 10-second runoff?

For unusual action by the offensive team to conserve time
in the last two-minutes of a half, including an excess time-out
for injury, but not an injury caused by foul.  NFL 4-3-10

There can never be a 10-second run-off against the defense.


> An offensive illegal procedure penalty with everyone hurrying to spike
> the ball in the last minute (or is it 2) of the game, with no timeouts
> available ... aren't these those conditions?  I was sure they'd blown it
> with that penalty.

Illegal Shift or False Start?  Yes.  Illegal Formation?  No.

An Illegal Formation is a foul at the snap, not a Dead Ball Foul.
In this situation, the clock stops on the incomplete spike, not
on the foul.

Hope this helps.

--  Scott