# Football question: laterals **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264 "2003-10-18T23:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/21 "2003-10-19T23:55:37Z")
There was a funky lateral just today. I turned on the TV in advance of the World Series, and there was an NFL wrapup in progress. I wasn’t paying close attention, so I didn’t get the teams or the specific circumstances, but it appeared to go like this: A receiver downfield gobbled up a pass, a defender wrapped himself around the receiver’s ankles, and before the receiver went down he flipped the ball to another receiver who just happened to be streaking past at that moment. Doesn’t happen like that very often, because it’s a high-risk play, but when it works it’s pretty thrilling. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/22 "2003-10-20T00:39:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stuyguy \* > \*\*BobT. Hold on. I think you need to clarify. Don’t you mean that in HS ball once the ball passes the LOS it can not be passed forward again? > > Otherwise, according to your literal description, I can pass it once (it crossing the LOS) and then pass it forward again and again (it not crossing the LOS any of those times). I don’t think that’s what you mean, right? \*\* Hmm, I guess I wasn’t clear. What you can do in high school football is pass the ball forward from player to player until you pass the ball pass the line of scrimmage or the receiver carries it across the line of scrimmage. Then you can’t pass it forward anymore. An example would be: QB drops back to pass and throws a screen pass to his running back who is a couple of yards behind the line of scrimmage. This pass is forward, but then the running back pulls up and throws the ball downfield to an open receiver. This is legal in high school football. However, if the running back carried the ball over the line of scrimmage, he can’t run backward to make himself “legal” to throw a pass again. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/23 "2003-10-20T01:03:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > \*\*There was a funky lateral just today. I turned on the TV in advance of the World Series, and there was an NFL wrapup in progress. I wasn’t paying close attention, so I didn’t get the teams or the specific circumstances, but it appeared to go like this: A receiver downfield gobbled up a pass, a defender wrapped himself around the receiver’s ankles, and before the receiver went down he flipped the ball to another receiver who just happened to be streaking past at that moment. Doesn’t happen like that very often, because it’s a high-risk play, but when it works it’s pretty thrilling. \*\* I believe you saw the last play of the first half in today’s Vikings-Bronco’s game. Vikings scored. While the TV commentors said what quick thinking Moss(the receiver) had done, the replay seemed to indicate it was a practiced play as the trailing player appeared prepared for the over the back lateral. ---
**Author:** ![eman77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f04885/32.png) [@eman77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eman77)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/24 "2003-10-20T01:43:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Major Feelgud \* > \*\* > Very, very rare. Perhaps in theory. Name a good one, because I can’t think of one. > > But there were myriads of option QBs from OK, NE, etc. who never got a job in the NFL. I don’t think your theory/optimism is much of a solace to them. \*\* I believe Antwaan Randle-El used to be a quarterback in college and is now a farely good reciever for Pittsburgh. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/25 "2003-10-20T02:03:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number \* > \*\*Rugby also has offside rules which make laterals more feasible. I admit I don’t understand League or Union completely, but I’m pretty sure that defensive players are required to stay on their side of the ball unless they’re making a play on the runner. \*\* This isn’t quite right. Once the ball is in broken play - out of the scrum, ruck, play the ball - defenders can be anywhere. It would appear that the defense stays entirely in front of the ball but that is for tactical reasons only. Often as play develops defenders are behind the ball carrier and not offside. The lateral that **Cervaise** mentioned is the kind of thing I would expect to be more common. I can see that laterals behind the line of scrimmage are a bit ho-hum, but when I see a receiver run down when he has teammates around I think what would happen in rugby. You would be pilloried for taking the tackle if you had support that could have scored. If you passed the ball and the other player dropped it, he would be scorned. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/26 "2003-10-20T02:52:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*What you can do in high school football is pass the ball forward from player to player until you pass the ball pass the line of scrimmage or the receiver carries it across the line of scrimmage. \*\* Not in Texas, but the rules my differ by state. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/27 "2003-10-20T04:05:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Not in Texas, but the rules my differ by state. Texas uses NCAA rules for football, but most (all?) other states use NFHS (Federation) rules. As far as running back a kick off similar to Rugby, i think the main difference to keep in mind is that football allows contact with non-ball carriers. This means that the return team finds it far less risky to lay out the defenders with well placed blocks than attempt throwing the ball around them. In addition, the defense would be very likely to tackle or engage anyone eligible to recieve a backwards pass if they were expecting the play. (Notre Dame ended Texas’ 30 game win streak in the 1971 Cotton Bowl in a similar manner. Texas was running the “wishbone” offense – an option offense consisting of mostly backwards passes. Notre Dame decided to defense this by eliminating all eligible ball carriers whenever possible.) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/28 "2003-10-20T05:45:07Z")
Interesting that Texas uses different rules. I do know one thing for sure about high school football rules. They are very quirky. For example, personal fouls in high school football do not give the offense automatic first downs. And sometimes, personal fouls on both teams don’t offset if the yardage doesn’t work out equally (i.e., if Team A’s penalty is half the distance and Team B’s penalty is 15 yards, they take the difference and place the ball at the appropriate spot.) High school officials are also pretty bad at keeping track of the downs. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/29 "2003-10-20T08:06:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > \*\*There was a funky lateral just today. I turned on the TV in advance of the World Series, and there was an NFL wrapup in progress. I wasn’t paying close attention, so I didn’t get the teams or the specific circumstances, but it appeared to go like this: A receiver downfield gobbled up a pass, a defender wrapped himself around the receiver’s ankles, and before the receiver went down he flipped the ball to another receiver who just happened to be streaking past at that moment. Doesn’t happen like that very often, because it’s a high-risk play, but when it works it’s pretty thrilling. \*\* You only know the half of it 🙂 It was the end of the 2nd quarter and the time was 0:00. It was a very dangerous pass and the only reason why he did it was because time had run out. If he had been tackled there the game would have stopped, so he had nothing to lose. If the ball was fumbled and recovered by the other team they would have had to make it to the other endzone during the same play, an almost zero possibility. As it happened, his teammate made it into the end zone so they got a free TD. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/30 "2003-10-20T16:00:15Z")
I remember that 10 years ago the Giants used to run a play where the QB would cut to one side (left, I think) and then lateral to running back Dave Meggett on the other side of the field who would proceed to pass it down field for a touchdown. They must have done it two or three time, at least. That was a fun play to watch. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/31 "2003-10-20T16:06:52Z")
I remember that 10 years ago the Giants used to run a play where the QB would cut to one side (left, I think) and then lateral to running back Dave Meggett on the other side of the field who would proceed to pass it down field for a touchdown. They must have done it two or three time, at least. That was a fun play to watch. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/32 "2003-10-20T20:54:20Z")
I’m pretty certain that one reason why laterals aren’t used more often is that it’s pretty hard to toss a ball backward while running at full speed. The ball cannot have _any_ forward momentum, so for example, if two players are running next to one another downfield, and the first player tosses the ball to the second, that’s a forward lateral (or is it an illegal forward pass?), because the ball has traveled forward with the players. Can someone clarify for me the terminology used here? I _think_ there are a number of different terms: forward pass, illegal forward pass, lateral, (illegal) forward lateral, and (illegal, overhanded) backward pass. As long as it’s launched from behind the line of scrimmage, a ball can be thrown any which way (hence Sonny Jurgensen’s behind-the-back pass), but once forward of the line, it can only be pitched underhanded and backwards. Am I on the right track here? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/33 "2003-10-20T21:21:48Z")
I would just like to point out, that Randy Moss is a freak. He is so unbeleivable aware of his surroundings and body position, that he is able to pull this kind of stuff off. They keep on showing the play on tv, but always in slow motion. I was watching the game, and it happened so fast I initially was wondering, what the hell just happened? It was not a designed or practiced play, they have said as much in interviews. What they \*had \*done, was goofed off and did hook and ladder plays after practice sometimes, just goofing off. The plays were always intercepted (An example of how dangerous it is) ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264/34 "2003-10-20T21:57:59Z")
> [@](#): > > I think there are a number of different terms: forward pass, illegal forward pass, lateral, (illegal) forward lateral, and (illegal, overhanded) backward pass. Forward pass: Any pass which, upon contacting a player, official, or the ground, or crossing the sideline, is closer to the goaline toward which the passing team is advancing than it was when thrown. Backward pass (aka “lateral”, “pitch”, and, technically, “snap”): Any pass … is NOT closer to the goaline, etc. A pass that flies parallel to the goalline is a backward pass. A forward pass is illegal if it occurs in or beyond the neutral zone (line of scrimmage) or if it occurs when there is no neutral zone (after a kick or turnover). A forward pass is also illegal if it is the second forward pass in a play (except in NFHS rules, as noted above). Forward passes that are not caught are “incomplete”, and the ball is dead. If the pass was legal, the down is advanced and the ball is returned to the previous spot. If the pass was illegal, a yardage penalty is assessed from the spot of the foul, the down advanced if a first down was not gained, and the ball spotted as appropriate. A backward pass is never illegal. Backward passes that are not caught are fumbles, and are live balls. There is a common misconception that forward passes must be thrown overhand, (and the idea that an underhand forward pass is an “illegal forward lateral”), and that backward passes must be thrown underhand. That is not true. These are the NCAA rules. I presume the NFL rules are so similar on this matter as to be indistinguishable in intepretation. I make no guarantees about NFHS rules. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-question-laterals/208264.md?page=1)