Can you hand the ball off to a tackle and let him

[dasher]

run with it? Is that legal? Now, before you ask the obvious question, why would you want to? I was thinking that if you can, why wouldn't the Patriots, or any other team, line up in their trick play formation and lateral the ball to Vareen. The guy the ref has just yelled to the other team, don't guard him. If you had the end run a go route, wouldn't Vareen be all alone?

 

[donniesyracuse]

An ineligible receiver can not carry the ball.

If a player who typically plays OT, is declared eligible and lines up at one of the ends of the line of scrimmage, then yes, but technically he is not the OT on the play, he is an end.

 

[Orangeman]

run with it? Is that legal? Now, before you ask the obvious question, why would you want to? I was thinking that if you can, why wouldn't the Patriots, or any other team, line up in their trick play formation and lateral the ball to Vareen. The guy the ref has just yelled to the other team, don't guard him. If you had the end run a go route, wouldn't Vareen be all alone?

As I understand it, yes

The ineligible Tackle can receive a lateral and run with it. I assume a handoff is the same thing as a lateral but have never see that spelled out.

That's why Vereen ran backwards a few yards and acted like he was getting a lateral.

It makes no sense why the official would say "don't cover #34"...as far as I'm aware he's only supposed to announce who's eligible or ineligible if they're wearing the wrong number for the spot they're going to be on.

I believe (although this is a point of contention) that the referee said that because he realized he was alerting the Ravens defense to close to the snap of the ball...the patriots were breaking the huddle as Vereen reported, he didn't bother to join them because it was too late, etc. no other explanation for why the red would say "don't cover #34", it makes no sense. But the NFL has ruled that the Ravens had 7-10 secs so all is well. Btw, the more I think about it, that ruling is garbage...the pint of this formation was to create a mismatch. In this case the referee barely mentioned the ineligible player and the Patriots were all fanned across the LoS in their spots...so the Ravens would not have had time to adjust their personnel because the Pats could have quick-snapped and throw to the temporarily uncovered receiver if, for example, the Ravens had tried to switch guys covering #34 and #47.

To be fair, we only have evidence of tis on one of the three plays, the third time this happened, when CBs shows the whole scenario playing out. But that was pretty different than report-huddle/inform-break-lineup-snap that the rules were meant to provide for the defense.

I had argued that 1) that Vereen failed to report effectively on at least one play... And 2) the sub pattern and reporting of #47 and #34 were illegal based on the two plays in a row they ran the formation and switched eligibility (based on media reports and what I "saw" in a review of the tape of the drive).

The Boston paper says both player left the field after each play so if that's true I'm wrong on that front...but the other part is still a 5-yard penalty on the Patriots.

Whatever...Rex just said he's going to win the division next year so let the fun begin

 

[donniesyracuse]

No ineligible receiver can carry the ball unless the ball is tipped first.

 

[Orangeman]

No ineligible receiver can carry the ball unless the ball is tipped first.

I believe that's on a forward pass. Could be wrong. Anyone can receive a lateral at any time I think

 

[memcorsu]

 

[donniesyracuse]

I believe that's on a forward pass. Could be wrong. Anyone can receive a lateral at any time I think

Yes, you're right as long as they are behind or beside the QB at the time of the handoff.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Well, I can.

 

[Cramz]

I don't think there is anything that would prohibit a handoff or lateral to an ineligible player. Good idea, let me get on the horn to Bill.

 

[Crusty]

Personally, I would let a Tackle do whatever he wanted to!

 

[upperdeck]

nebraska ran a play this year with a tackle ran out to the sideline and caught a pass this year. ended up betting called forward so a flag was thrown, replay showed it was backwards but not reviewed correctly and they got the penalty.

 

[Scooch]

The answer is yes, and as Orangeman noted that's exactly why Vereen backpedaled off the line at the snap each time he was ineligible. Brady could have lateraled to him, it was part of the chicanery.

BTW Orangeman, I watched the replay of that sequence on NFLN and the Globe had it correct. Players were off the field when they should have been. Would have been interesting if Harbaugh took a TO instead of drawing the unsportsmanlike penalty. Still not sure why (a) he didn't do that on the first instance of the Pats doing what they did, and/or (b) he didn't put his D into a base setup to protect them from what was about to occur.

The only real debate about it at this point is if the refs held the play long enough in announcing the ineligibility. The rule is not that the Ravens get time adjust their formation, just that they have time to be made aware. It's subjective.

FWIW, it's come out that the Lions tried the same plot this year against the Vikings, and Stafford got sacked. That's the downside of only leaving 4 OLmen in to block. So Harbaugh's claim that it had "never been seen before" was wrong. Plus, the time before the defense blew it up.