Quote:
Originally Posted by mbcrowder
I believe both rule and clinic have been VERY clear on this... regardless of the hit from behind --- if the quarterback attempts a pump fake and the ball comes out, it's an incomplete pass. The only way this is a fumble is if the arm was not in a throwing motion - and it sounds like it definitely was.
Besides, you don't KNOW that this time was going to be a pump fake - this could have been the play they were setting up with the previous pump fakes - so the defense wouldn't bite on the short pass.
Let me ask this --- had this happened on the first play of the game, and you hadn't seen any pump fakes yet, would there have been ANY question in your mind that this was an incomplete pass?
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Mike, I agree that, as described in the OP (arm and ball moving forward when the ball comes out), this should probably be ruled a pass. As covering official, I don't care about the passer's intent: if the arm is moving forward when the ball comes out, it's a pass.
However, I can also envision plays less completely described plays where the tackler catches up to a rolling passer and the ball comes out. In the generic play R has an important judgment call to make. Some posters were simply pointing out that we have to make this call before we address the penalties.