So - let’s say it’s the Super Bowl. You’re trailing by 5 points. Your offense is on the opposing 1-yard line and there is one second remaining in regulation. This will be the last play of the game, so downs is irrelevant.
Without giving any info about what kind of offense you have, how good the other defense is, etc. - what play would you call?
QB sneak? Hand off to running back? Throw a pass?
Don’t throw an interception. That’s all I ask.
Knowing nothing, I would say pass because I have to assume I have an elite QB since I made the Super Bowl (even though that isn’t always true). And a pass gives the better chance of the defense committing a penalty.
Call timeout.
ETA: make that call timeout with one second left on the play clock, giving the defense a chance to fuck up.
It will depend on the circumstances, what kind of plays have been working against that team, what kind of plays their defense would be expecting, and what kind of plays my team has practiced for this situation. It’s the same as any 4th down play late in the game where you need the points, the 1 second left doesn’t matter.
Also, I assume the clock is not running, otherwise you are going to try whatever play you can line up for quickly, probably a sneak or run. If the clock is stopped and you have timeouts you might try to draw the defense offside before you start the play. That 1/2 yard is important if you plan to run, it might make the defense anticipate a running play even more so you can fool them with a pass, and if you have the timeouts you might be trying to throw off the defense with a timeout, although you usually don’t want to give the defense any extra time.
The Spanish Inquisition.
I did not expect that.
See, I had a free safety assigned to specifically watch for just that.
Ah, I didn’t know Pete Carroll posts here.
Yes.
I know it’s fighting the hypothetical, but in the real world this is pretty much the whole story: your strengths, the other team’s weaknesses, who’s tired, who has suffered minor injury, the way the defense lines up - and perhaps a couple dozen other considerations.
The old Statue Of Liberty play.
Line up as tight as possible on the line of scrimmage, hand off the ball to a big guy, and have him fall forward. Gaining a single yard on a run is usually pretty reliable.
Short-side option
The Annexation of Puerto Rico
MY team?
I must be pretty rich so I do hookers and blow while my team’s coaches make the call.
Spread them out and try to get it up the gut.
Gonna have to go with most of the other responses - it depends.
How’s my line been blocking? Are we bulldozing the defensive line, or are they getting penetration into the backfield?
Are my receivers getting open, or has my quarterback been on fire throwing them open all game?
Most likely, I’m giving the quarterback a run-pass option (thank you Tony Romo), where he can give it to a bruiser up the middle or pull it back and pass it. Give him options with a big ol’ TE curl in the middle of the field, an out route from the other TE or slot receiver, one wideout dragging just past the goal line and another crossing a couple yards short of the back of the endzone. Put the options at different levels and going different directions - hopefully you can get the defenders to pick each other or blow an assignment.
If I have Tom Brady, however, we’re sneaking it in, every time, and twice on Sundays. That guy has MASTERED the QB sneak.
If you’re on the 1 yard line because the play before got you there when your RB bulldozed his way in and almost scored, you give it to him again dagnabbit.
grumble
Sprint right option.
That’s the play every team has, where your QB runs towards the sideline on a rollout, with receivers mirroring his run. If somebody is open, he throws. Otherwise, he runs it in.
You run whatever play you usually run when you HAVE to get 1 yard. Every team has a few.
Parcells liked to say when you throw, 3 things can happen and 2 of them are bad.