Jumbotron scenario

[The Quest for Six]

It's a moot point anyway, considering the initial velocity required to propel the ball that high even without factoring in atmospheric drag and wind currents, and even if you could somehow throw it straight up at a perfect 90° angle. It's virtually physically impossible for a human being to do, especially without injuring yourself.

30 yards straight up is very different from 50 yards downfield in terms of ballistic trajectory.

absolutely correct, can't happen

 

[DominantD]

This is actually a smart post. I can't speak for the physics of whether this could possibly happen. But, it wouldn't be intentional grounding because the QB wasn't avoiding a sack and who can say a receiver wasn't in the area because you never don't know where the ball would land when it eventually landed and whether a receiver could have conceivably run under the ball.

If you can get away with it, this is smart with 30 seconds on 1st or 2nd down and you don't want to lose a down and you want to get all the seconds placed back on the clock due to the dead ball. The team then has time to go to the huddle and prepare 2 plays... the next "real" play and the 2nd play to hit the board again if the clock is running! But if the QB misses the board, it will take a bunch of seconds off the clock waiting for the ball to land and be an incomplete (or intercepted) pass.

Thanks for this post. It's an entertaining thought.

 

[EPL0c0]

So the ruling is if a ball hits the board the play is re-played and the clock is re-set....


Say a team is down in the game and trying to score on a last ditch effort. They have the ball on the 40 yard line or so with 8 seconds left. Instead of throwing the ball away and wasting the down, the qb launches the ball as high as he can and hits the jumbotron. As a result they replay the down and have another shot with the time re-set.

Board is 90 feet up, or 30 yards. I'd bet a qb could hit it easily if he tried. That would be a smart thing to do in this scenario. The ruling doesn't say it has to be on a punt, it just says if a ball hits the skycam/jumbotron or anything else.


Possible? Likely?

I think a chuck like that would look as obvious and intentional as it is intended to be. In that case, I think the league should create a rule where it's a live ball and/or a penalty, 15yds and loss of down.

 

[speedkilz88]

I think a chuck like that would look as obvious and intentional as it is intended to be. In that case, I think the league should create a rule where it's a live ball and/or a penalty, 15yds and loss of down.

If the math guys are right its impossible and would end up being a jump ball situation and the qb will hurt himself.

 

[rynochop]

Yeah, no way it could happen, much less with defenders chasing after you. Think of yourself throwing a baseball straight up, then a football, you'd probably blow out your shoulder trying.

 

[masomenos]

An NFL QB absolutely could hit the screen.

Max. height of an object is measured by initial velocity squared / 2(constant of gravity).

If a football is released at 60mph, with a perfectly vertical trajectory then the equation looks something like...

60mph = 88 feet per second

max height = (88*88) / (2(32 ft/s))

With that, you get a max height of 121 ft. Now, a QB wouldn't be able to throw straight up that hard but he has 36ft to spare so he can just lower the release angle and still hit it.

 

[DominantD]

An NFL QB absolutely could hit the screen.

Max. height of an object is measured by initial velocity squared / 2(constant of gravity).

If a football is released at 60mph, with a perfectly vertical trajectory then the equation looks something like...

60mph = 88 feet per second

max height = (88*88) / (2(32 ft/s))

With that, you get a max height of 121 ft. Now, a QB wouldn't be able to throw straight up that hard but he has 36ft to spare so he can just lower the release angle and still hit it.

So, since the scoreboard goes from the 20 to the 20, you need to calculate the trajectory and starting angle on the throw to see what yard line on the field is too far because the QB can't throw it straight up. ... Once your past opponent's 40-45 yard line you'd probably miss the scoreboard even if the throw went high enough.

 

[burmafrd]

It will only have to happen one time for the NFL to make an interim rule. So moot point. Gee you guys must really be bored.

 

[DallasEast]

So the ruling is if a ball hits the board the play is re-played and the clock is re-set....

Say a team is down in the game and trying to score on a last ditch effort. They have the ball on the 40 yard line or so with 8 seconds left. Instead of throwing the ball away and wasting the down, the qb launches the ball as high as he can and hits the jumbotron. As a result they replay the down and have another shot with the time re-set.

Board is 90 feet up, or 30 yards. I'd bet a qb could hit it easily if he tried. That would be a smart thing to do in this scenario. The ruling doesn't say it has to be on a punt, it just says if a ball hits the skycam/jumbotron or anything else.

Possible? Likely?

Anything in life is possible. Heck, in terms of actual time, it wasn't all that long ago when it was commonly believed that humankind couldn't reach the moon.

Still, we're talking about a pass and not a punt, correct? Well, football has always been characterized as a manly sport. It would be completely apparent to particularly everyone that a quarterback hitting an object that large 90 feet in the air was intentionally doing so.

Just how cowardly would a quarterback want himself to be seen in such a situation? Sure, a punter can act like it was a mistake. Punts generally travel in that direction, namely straight up, although not usually at such overtly steep angles in relationship to field position--but a pass?



I've seen my share of hail mary passes and the ways quarterbacks contort their bodies to fling the ball for maximum distance. Imagining just how silly the quarterback's throwing motion will look attempting to pull that off is hilarious, to say the least. It'll probably look even more hilarious during the videoboard replay. I can't wait.

 

[Undisputed]

If possible, I'd like for Eli Manning to be the first to attempt this.

Serious potential for the funniest moment in the history of mankind.

 

[dcfanatic]

Here's another scenario which is more realistic in terms of driving us all nuts if it happens.

4th quarter. 9 minutes left. Cowboys down three points to the Eagles/Giants/Commanders.

Cowboys are punting. McBriar booms one and it rises right up under the JerryTron and looks like it barely nicks a corner. We can't really tell while watching the game live.

Since it's such a high punt the opposing Punt Returner is standing there waving for a fair catch.

As the ball comes down he's losing his track of the ball and muffs it.

The ball is free and Jason Williams scoops it up and returns it for a TD.

Yes! Cowboys now up four points with under 9 mnutes to go. Momentum is now ours and all we have to do is hold down the fort.

But wait.

The Skins/Eagles/Giants are saying the punt hit the JerryTron and they want the play redone.

The refs now go to the video.

The video is inconclusive as far as we are concerned while watching at home. The ball goes into one of those corners underneath where there is really no light.

What are the refs going to do?

They confer and somehow rule the punt hit the JerryTron and the Cowboys have to replay the down.

We all smash our flatscreens.

And let's not act like the refs have never screwed up a replay...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/steelers/2008-11-17-score-mistake_N.htm

 

[NinePointOh]

An NFL QB absolutely could hit the screen.

Max. height of an object is measured by initial velocity squared / 2(constant of gravity).

If a football is released at 60mph, with a perfectly vertical trajectory then the equation looks something like...

60mph = 88 feet per second

max height = (88*88) / (2(32 ft/s))

With that, you get a max height of 121 ft. Now, a QB wouldn't be able to throw straight up that hard but he has 36ft to spare so he can just lower the release angle and still hit it.

Your proposed trajectory would travel 79.8 yards downfield if thrown at a 45-degree angle. Do you know a QB who can confidently throw that far in pads and in a game situation, let alone with a comparable velocity straight up in the air? Now factor in atmospheric drag and air currents and you begin to realize how implausible it is.

To illustrate it more simply, if the league's strongest punters can just barely touch it, and kicks generally travel higher and farther than throws, does it make sense that it'd be so easy for a QB?

 

[xpistofer]

The fact that there are even discussions like this is one of the reasons I wish Jerry would just raise it...it messes with the fabric of the game.

I love the stadium (I went to the game), but crikeys, man, this is not arena football. The stadium isn't a prop, nor should it get in the way of the game.

But oh well, there is no room for purists like me anymore, so I guess I will just adjust and enjoy the ride.

 

[speedkilz88]

The fact that there are even discussions like this is one of the reasons I wish Jerry would just raise it...it messes with the fabric of the game.

I love the stadium (I went to the game), but crikeys, man, this is not arena football. The stadium isn't a prop, nor should it get in the way of the game.

But oh well, there is no room for purists like me anymore, so I guess I will just adjust and enjoy the ride.

So Jerry should raise it because of utter stupidity?

 

[adzrne7]

Jerry should raise it because it can interfere with the flow of the game.

 

[DallasEast]

The fact that there are even discussions like this is one of the reasons I wish Jerry would just raise it...it messes with the fabric of the game.

I love the stadium (I went to the game), but crikeys, man, this is not arena football. The stadium isn't a prop, nor should it get in the way of the game.

But oh well, there is no room for purists like me anymore, so I guess I will just adjust and enjoy the ride.

Football purist?

In 1922, the American Professional Football Association changed its name to the National Football League. Have you (or anyone else) read the sheer number of rules instituted by the NFL to influence gameplay within the last 25 years alone? I would like to read more of this football "purity".

 

[DallasEast]

Jerry should raise it because it can interfere with the flow of the game.

...as opposed to lengthy official replay reviews, teams fielding twelve men and timeouts mandated by television commercials?

 

[Rogah]

Another scenario: The ball hits the jumbotron, but the refs on the field don't see it. There is supposed to be a booth review, but--the ruling states--if there is no booth review a coach an launch a challenge. Let's say the ball hits the jumbotron benefiting the receiving team. The punting team coach waits for the booth review, but it seems like no booth review is coming. The receiving team hurries in their offense to snap the ball. At what point does the punting team coach risk a challenge or continue to wait on the booth review? This ruling ads an element to challenges and reviews that was not there before.

Well, on a punt there is a change of possession.... so you can't really rush the offense to the line of scrimmage the way teams do when, for example, we see a downfield pass ruled a catch and it really wasn't so they hurry up to the line.

 

[Rogah]

Here's another scenario which is more realistic in terms of driving us all nuts if it happens.

4th quarter. 9 minutes left. Cowboys down three points to the Eagles/Giants/Commanders.

Cowboys are punting. McBriar booms one and it rises right up under the JerryTron and looks like it barely nicks a corner. We can't really tell while watching the game live.

Since it's such a high punt the opposing Punt Returner is standing there waving for a fair catch.

As the ball comes down he's losing his track of the ball and muffs it.

The ball is free and Jason Williams scoops it up and returns it for a TD.

You can't advance a muff

Yes! Cowboys now up four points with under 9 mnutes to go. Momentum is now ours and all we have to do is hold down the fort.

But wait.

The Skins/Eagles/Giants are saying the punt hit the JerryTron and they want the play redone.

The refs now go to the video.

The video is inconclusive as far as we are concerned while watching at home. The ball goes into one of those corners underneath where there is really no light.

What are the refs going to do?

I assume that like any replay challenge, if the video is inconclusive then they go with the original call on the field - they wouldn't just go to the replay without making an initial call on the field. Then the replay would have to be conclusive to overturn it.

They confer and somehow rule the punt hit the JerryTron and the Cowboys have to replay the down.

We all smash our flatscreens.

And let's not act like the refs have never screwed up a replay...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/steelers/2008-11-17-score-mistake_N.htm

Yes, referees make mistakes. And now there is another, brand new element which could theoretically lead to a bad call being made somewhere down the line. But there's really no reason to believe a mistake is going to be more likely to favor one team over the other. Taking your above hypothetical, it's just as likely the Giants catch the ball off the scoreboard and return it for a TD. If the refs confer and call a do-over (and the replay is ruled inconclusive) then everyone in NY is breaking their televisions instead of everyone in Dallas.

 

[Rogah]

Your proposed trajectory would travel 79.8 yards downfield if thrown at a 45-degree angle. Do you know a QB who can confidently throw that far in pads and in a game situation, let alone with a comparable velocity straight up in the air? Now factor in atmospheric drag and air currents and you begin to realize how implausible it is.

To illustrate it more simply, if the league's strongest punters can just barely touch it, and kicks generally travel higher and farther than throws, does it make sense that it'd be so easy for a QB?

I would bet a QB could do it under ideal conditions, meaning if he was not under any pressure and had all the room he needed to reach back and launch the ball with all his might.

But if a QB was in the middle of a play and was not under any pressure and had no one near him, I think he would be more focused on letting his WR's get open instead of just bailing out on a play when he was under no pressure.

So I just don't see it being likely this actually happens in a game.