Okay, I realize I should be better acquainted with NFL rules than I am, but when the Rams and Raiders pulled up stakes and left LA I went into a petulant anti-footbal snit. I have gotten back into watching the games this year, though, and I have noticed some oddities.
In the shotgun formation, the QB stomps his foot just before the center snaps the ball. Why? Is it a signal of some sort? Do league rules require it?
It’s a signal to the center to snap the ball. Essentially, it means “I’m ready when you are”.
Is that because he is too far from the center to use “HUT! HUT!” and expect to be heard?
But surely the whole offensive team needs to co-ordinate their play start with a snap count?
So presumably the foot stamp just says ‘get ready’ (like the scrum-half in rugby when he taps the hooker on the back before putting the ball into the scrum).
It’s also useful for a silent snap count, because the signal that the quarterback is ready is visual, not verbal.
I’m not sure about this, but I think in this case the center can do the actual snap count - the foot signal is indicating that the formation is set and the QB is ready for the snap.
I’m still concerned how e.g. the wide receivers know the count.
Having a verbal (with an agreed secret count) means the whole team know when to start.
With no verbal snap count the whole team have to watch the quarterback, then each count in their heads, then avoid false starts…
As for Yahoo Answers, they are full of cr*p. :eek: :smack:
Nobody moderates them and any fool can send in an answer…
In general, they don’t. They just look at the ball and go when it goes.
How dos that work? I play in the front row, and the only two ways my scrum halves put the ball in is either on the engage, or when the hooker opens and closes his left hand. How would the scrum half tap the hooker and then get both his hands back on the ball without the opposing scrum half seeing it and tapping his own hooker?
There’s a thread here with similar replies to this one a couple months ago:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=488557&highlight=quarterback
Glee, it’s unimportant for the WRs to jump off the ball very quickly, so they just go after they see the ball being snapped.
Huh. Learn something new every day. I always thought it was a signal to the wide receiver to go into motion. (Or what **Cyberhawk **said in the linked thread.) Never knew it was used for both.
Why do I find this oddly erotic?