Post Game Thoughts

[Simon]

There is no NFL rule about having to have your head around or be looking for the ball. You are 100% allowed to play the receiver with your back turned as long as you don't initiate contact before the ball arrives.

And I do not need to watch the play again as I've already clearly seen him grab both of Claypool's arms in high definition.

[Sisyphean Bills]

On 9/15/2021 at 6:28 PM, Simon said:

There is no NFL rule about having to have your head around or be looking for the ball. You are 100% allowed to play the receiver with your back turned as long as you don't initiate contact before the ball arrives.

And I do not need to watch the play again as I've already clearly seen him grab both of Claypool's arms in high definition.

You're right.

Of course, we both know that the way NFL officials call the game, a defender has to make at least some token effort to whip his head around or they'll help out the offense.

Whoever is playing opposite White is simply going to get the majority of the load and any flaws to their game will be under the opposition offensive guru's microscope at length. It's a tough business.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

On 9/15/2021 at 8:28 PM, Simon said:

There is no NFL rule about having to have your head around or be looking for the ball. You are 100% allowed to play the receiver with your back turned as long as you don't initiate contact before the ball arrives.

And I do not need to watch the play again as I've already clearly seen him grab both of Claypool's arms in high definition.

 

Would you agree that practically speaking, when a ball is thrown short and the receiver tries to come back for it, a DB between the WR and the ball has to show he's making a play on the ball by turning his head, or the chances of a flag are high?

[Simon]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Would you agree that practically speaking, when a ball is thrown short and the receiver tries to come back for it, a DB between the WR and the ball has to show he's making a play on the ball by turning his head, or the chances of a flag are high?

Not necessarily.

A good corner can read a receivers eyes and wait until the right moment to jam an arm or two up in there and do so with extreme prejudice. If you can hold your water and avoid egregious contact until the moment the ball arrives and then attack the area between the receiver's hands, you're not going to get flagged even if you have your back to the ball. Officials are pretty good about not calling a guy for sound technique.

The only instance where getting your head around can provide some benefit (in regards to officiating) is if you do get your head around and make it look like you're playing the ball, some officials might you give you a little extra leeway with contact. If you quickly and discreetly slap a guys forearm (without actually hooking or grabbing it) while you're turning around you can make it look like some incidental hand-fighting and you might get away with it. Typically you'll get flagged, but if you don't have your arms extended when you do it and it's 3rd/long, stripes generally does not want to make a call that decides possession.

In the example of Wallace getting called against Claypool, he wasn't really in position to try that though. He was beat on the route (which I don't give him too much grief for because his job was to be playing the sticks as much as the receiver in that down/distance) and was already guilty of holding Claypool's right arm just to keep him close. He's just not a good enough natural athlete to recover from that position and had no chance to hide the grabbing of the other arm by incorporating it into a turn. His only shot was to stay oriented on the receiver, watch his eyes and then attack the middle of his catch radius like a junkyard dawg when Claypool's eyes got big.