Football why spike

Spiking the football just means slamming the ball straight down onto the ground. A spike is a physical act. Their star tight end, Rob Gronkowski is a spiking artiste of the highest order.

Spiking the ball can also have a very specific tactical use within the game of football. Depending on what happens in each play, the clock either runs between plays or it stops. Spiking the ball is like a special form of the incomplete pass. This stops the clock but it does count as a down.

This leaves them vulnerable to a crafty quarterback who decides to take advantage of their assumptions. If a quarterback decides to trick the defense, he can pretend to spike the ball and then run a regular play. This is what Aaron Rodgers did yesterday. Unfortunately its too risky to make a tackle or touch the QB.

So just let them score and hope we can score more. That's the new era of the NFL. Remember when passing was rare? Neither do I but ask your father BUT, I feel like, in last night's game, with sec left in 4th quarter, pass was thrown out of bounds to stop the clock. I would argue he was still in the pocket, so this "in the pocket" aspect is kinda hazy, or was it not required?

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Why isn't spiking the football intentional grounding? Ask Question. Asked 9 years, 9 months ago. Active 2 years, 11 months ago. Viewed 43k times. Improve this question. Raystafarian Raystafarian 1 1 gold badge 3 3 silver badges 10 10 bronze badges.

There is a penalty associated with it - the team loses a down. Incidentally, this actually happened in to the Bears. Caleb Hanne was trying to spike the ball, but he took a few steps back first. He got called for intentional grounding, and then ensuing ten second runoff ended the game. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Section 2 Intentional Grounding Item 3: Stopping Clock A player under center is permitted to stop the game clock legally to save time if, immediately upon receiving the snap, he begins a continuous throwing motion and throws the ball directly into the ground.

In addition, a coach has the option to decline the penalty yardage but accept the loss of down if the opposing team commits a loss of down penalty Intentional Grounding. This is a rule that is unknown by many coaches because a scenario where exercising such an option is unheard of, but it does exist in the rulebook. Rule Summary View Official Rule It is a foul for intentional grounding if a passer, facing an imminent loss of yardage because of pressure from the defense, throws a forward pass without a realistic chance of completion.

The short answer is that the ball remains live when passed backwards even when not completed. This is too great of a risk for a team in possession of the ball because the value of possession is paramount.

Illegal touching is committed when a kicking team member merely touches the punt before a receiving team member touches it. It has nothing to do with him going out of bounds. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Architecture Why can a quarterback spike the ball? Ben Davis January 31, Why can a quarterback spike the ball?