National Football League

Mike Pereira's Nov. 2 mailbag

Published Nov. 2, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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Hi everyone, here are a few more Mailbag questions this week and I’m happy to answer them. (Read the latest chat recap here).

Paul P. from Iowa City, Iowa wrote:

"When running his route, if a receiver runs out of bounds, is it true that he is no longer eligible to catch a pass (that is a pass that is NOT tipped to him)? If yes, then can there be any pass interference called on a ball thrown to that receiver since he is NO longer an eligible receiver?"

You are right, Paul. He is ineligible and does not regain his eligibility until the pass is touched by another eligible offensive receiver or any defensive player. A defensive player may legally interfere with an ineligible receiver but may not grab and hold him. If he does, it is defensive holding but not pass interference.

Tom C. from Mundelein, Ill. wrote:
"Mike, your explanations on FOX during the Packers/Jets game were interesting to hear. What are the mechanics of spotting the ball on downfield play like the fake punt? How to the officials shift when a punt or FG turns into a fake?"

These spots are so hard to get because you are chasing the play and you have to try to get an accurate spot where the ball crosses the sideline. The mechanics are the same on a fake punt as they would be on any running play. The head linesman or line judge will always get the out-of-bounds spot on running plays.

Jeff W. from Richfield, Ohio wrote:
"Please answer a question that has bugged me for a long time. Most laterals are very obvious. It's thrown or lobbed backwards, no problem. However, one could imagine a scenario when running full speed and simply flicking the ball to the side or even over your shoulder. The ball is obviously going backwards when compared to the runner.

However, if you isolate the ball only, it could very well be moving forward on the field despite being tossed "backward". Is simply the motion of lateraling the ball behind as you run adequate and legal? Thanks for taking the time.

There is only one way to judge this, Jeff. The direction of the pass is determined by drawing a line from the point where the ball leaves the passer to the point where it first touches another player or the ground. It is basically point-to-point. If that line is parallel or backwards, it is considered backwards. With two players running downfield, the intent might be to throw the ball backwards but point-to-point, it might be forward.
 

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