At that juncture in the game, the Patriots losing 7 or 8 seconds off the clock was almost the same thing as committing a turnover.
How? The still had the ball near midfield, and they still had a chance to win. It’s much less damaging than a turnover. Losing that much time certainly hurt a lot, but even if we pretend Tuck was involved in the play so it could have been a strategic decision by the Giants, the penalty insured the Patriots were going to going to have the ball for at least one more play. Even if the Giants had forced a turnover or if the Patriots had for some reason run a hook-and-ladder play that had used up all the remaining time on the clock, they still would have gotten the ball back and been able to run one more play. The loss of time hurt the Patriots but it also limited the potential gains for the Giants. Considering the Patriots were already facing very long odds at that point, I’m not sure that guaranteeing them another play could have been a sound strategic position.
Mike & Mike mentioned on their radio show Monday that Buddy Ryan once purposefully ran out 15 guys on defense in a similar end-of-game situation, so it is a point-of-strategy that is not new. Sounds like the threat of a “Palpably Unfair Act” penalty would keep teams from trying to be too cocky with repeatedly doing this.
I think that 12 men on the field and offside are unique defensive penalties where the penalty occurs at the snap of the ball and not during the play. Because of this, the play should be blown dead at the snap but barring this, the offence should be able to choose the result of the play or the penalty with no time lost.
There’s still advantage. You keep committing penalties until the clock is run out, and then you just have to stop them on one single honest play. You can’t eat all the time with penalties, but you can still eat most of it.
Thing is, there are 2 kinds of deliberate penalties the defense can commit in these circumstances. An automatic penalty, like 15 men on the field. An immediate action penalty, like tackling all the receivers at the snap. A downfield penalty, like tackling a receiver before he can catch a ball.
The automatic penalty is a problem because the QB can spike the ball. 1 second elapsed, clock stops, 5 yards, repeat the down. You can drive 80 yards in 16 seconds like that.
The immediate penalty is going to burn an extra second or two, until the QB sees what you’re doing and throws the ball away. On the down side, if your guy misses his tackle, the WR is going to run, at which point it’s a free shot downfield for the offense.
Start repeating the penalties, and I’m going to think the zebras are going to hammer you with 15 yard penalties, instead of the 5 yarders that you are planning on.
That doesn’t work. If the Pats got a good play, it would count plus the clock stops. If they don’t, they get a do over.
There is a presumption that the extra defender(s) would help prevent that.
And it’s not a true “do over” if they lose 7 or 8 seconds off the clock.
A lot of this analysis seems to presume that the offensive team (in this case the Patriots) catches on to what the defense is doing. When there’s so little time left, and no time outs, they’re always going to call a hail mary or a sideline pass. Considering all that a quarterback has to do already, I don’t know if he also has time to count the defenders and alter the play accordingly.
So yes, the penalty on the defense will stop the clock, but the offense can only take advantage of that if they know it’s going to happen.
But how much field position are you giving up with your intentional penalties? Every yard you give up makes it easier for the Pats to score, and as it was, they came pretty close on one 55-yard bomb.
I don’t think you do anything intentlonally in that situation that will stop the clock. The clock is your best buddy. Maybe you interfere with a receiver who has you beat, but other than that the best thing you can do is not give them any more yards than you have to.
Don’t forget, in a situation like that, if the defense intercepts the ball, it will go back to the offense for another play. I doubt it is on purpose.
One thing I would like to see defenses doing in that situation is have a guy at the goalline waiting on the the trailer (there is always a trailer who usually is the one that catches the tipped balls) as soon as the ball is by him and is touched, take the trailer OUT!!!..you never see that. The trailer is always free to roam and catch the tipped pass.
Brady, an extra play? Really, with the refs on his side and all, I don’t think so.