Question on last drive

[SamTheRam]

The Giants had 12 men on the field. Play started with 14 seconds and ended with nine seconds. Shouldn't the refs have put those five seconds back on the clock? I'm glad they didn't. Pats got enough freaking calls in that game.

[beckersteen]

I don't think so because the Pats could have made a play IIRC.

[weyco2000]

Pats got all the calls....

[charlotte49er]

I think if there was the last play of the game, they might have. A Game can't end on a Defensve penalty. However, because it wasn't I think that is why the refs didn't. They didn't put time back on earlier when the Pats has 12 men of the field.

[YoungPanthers89]

Spygate

[Zithers]

the pats accepted the penalty

if they hadn't, it would have gone back

i think that's how it works anyway...

[JJT]

Brady saw the 12 men on the field and elected to take the "free" play.

He could have spiked the ball if he had wanted to save the time.

[Double34Trouble28]

Just like an offsides penalty, the offense still has an opportunity to make a play. The "free play." They did not convert, but that is the reason the time isn't put back on the clock.

[SamTheRam]

All right, thanks. Wasn't aware that if someone on defense jumped offsides and you took the penalty, that time ran off the clock. Thought it was a dead ball penalty.

[AntiBuc]

I thought it was stupid too. Why didn't NYG just put 15 men on the field for the entire last series then? It would have ate those last few seconds away..

I was wondering the same thing...it'd make sense to do that in such situations if you ate up the clock and only lost 5 yards for each flag....wonder if they'd call an unsportsmanlike penalty for doing that when it's so obvious?

[thunderraiden]

I was wondering the same thing...it'd make sense to do that in such situations if you ate up the clock and only lost 5 yards for each flag....wonder if they'd call an unsportsmanlike penalty for doing that when it's so obvious?

They would definately lose draft picks for doing it in the super bowl. And the competition commitee would change the rules in the offseason like they probably will for the two things the giants did this season. (fake injuries vs rams and the penalty were talking about now.

[panthers55]

Penalties that are called before the ball is snapped like illegal procedure result in an automatic penalty and the clock is reset to what it was it was before the play started if the refs don't come in and get it stopped before the ball is snapped. Teams can't refuse or accept the penalty. Penalties that occur after the ball is snapped (which this was because if someone had gotten off the field before the ball was snapped it wouldn't have been a penalty) allows the other team to accept or decline the penalty based on the outcome of the play. The time it takes to run the play does come off the clock regardless of whether the team takes the play or the penalty. So it was going to be 9 seconds regardless of whether NE took or refused the penalty.

[panthers55]

I was wondering the same thing...it'd make sense to do that in such situations if you ate up the clock and only lost 5 yards for each flag....wonder if they'd call an unsportsmanlike penalty for doing that when it's so obvious?

If Brady saw that you would just spike the ball which takes little to no time off the clock and get a 5 yard penalty. Since the clock doesn't start until the ball is snapped if they had too many people on the next play you would do the same thing again. You could move 50 yards in about 15 seconds. Then on the last play if they did that you would keep getting more plays since the game can't end on a defensive penalty.

No one would be stupid enough to do that over and over.

[panthers55]

All right, thanks. Wasn't aware that if someone on defense jumped offsides and you took the penalty, that time ran off the clock. Thought it was a dead ball penalty.

It can be a dead ball foul if the refs stop the play because the defensive player is unabated to the quarterback and it occurs well before the snap of the ball. If the defensive player moves across the line which induces the offensive player to false start then it is automatically assessed and time is reset since the play never occurred. If the defensive player moves offsides right before the ball is snapped then play isn't stopped and the offense can accept or refuse the penalty based on the result of the play and time does elapse off the clock.