Legal Pass or Not

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by CT1

You're kidding, right? How can a ball flipped forward (toward the opponent's end line) to a player coming in front of the passer be anything other than a forward pass?

Somebody might describe such a pass as "forward" that technically isn't. And if your view is from behind the player receiving it, his body could easily obscure the release point and/or the point he touches the ball.

If the passer is backing up at the time he releases the ball, a ball that doesn't travel forward thru the air can easily seem to because it can wind up closer to the opposing end line than the passer's hands are -- because the passer's hands moved backward subsequent to the release.

A chest pass is nearly always a forward pass under those circumstances, but an underhand flip in a well-timed jet series often isn't. The distinction is important, as there are teams that deliberately choose the pass over handing the ball on such a play, thinking that if the ball is muffed it'll be dead on hitting the ground. I don't think the game should be made any easier for them just because they want it to be considered a forward pass.