Offended Team Option under 2 minutes

[Derek Teigen]

Last year I think we misapplied this rule in a game I had.  When team b fouled during an incomplete pass we did not give team A the option to start the clock on ready.  Is my understanding correct that the offended team can elect to start the cock on the ready or the snap no matter if the play itself would have killed the clock or not had there been no penalty?

[VALJ]

3-4-7 explicitly says an offended team the option to chose to start on the snap.  It says nothing about an option to start the clock on the ready. 

A team can choose to slow the game down by delaying the clock to the snap.  A team can not decide to speed the game up by taking a situation that would start on the snap and making it start on the ready,

ART. 7 . . . When a foul is committed with less than two minutes remaining in ei- ther half, the offended team will have the option to start the game clock on the snap.

[Derek Teigen]

Yeah, thank you for that. I'm trying to wrap my head around this but seems that the team that is always behind will elect to have the play clock start at the snap, with the exception being, if they are near their opponents, goal, line, and trying to leave no time on the clock if they score.

Also, during these penalties under two minutes, I think the offending  teams coach should know that after their penalty that the play clock may start on your ready because they may want to take a time out to actually stop the clock until the next snap

What kind of discussions are you having with your crew and your side line during these under two minute penalty situations? Particularly in close games. Thank you.

[VALJ]

The whole point of having the option is that a team doesn’t benefit time-wise from fouling.

Before that rule was added, I had this scenario happen in a game.  A is up by 6 with about 2 minutes left in the game.  B is out of timeouts.  On 1st down, A ran for 5 yards, while A71 was flagged for holding.  B had two choices, neither good: decline the penalty and make A play 2/5, or accept the penalty, giving A a replay of first down, allowing A to be able to run another 25 seconds off the game clock.  Either B had to decline the foul, or A benefitted another 25 seconds by fouling.

[VALJ]

Yeah, thank you for that. I'm trying to wrap my head around this but seems that the team that is always behind will elect to have the play clock start at the snap, with the exception being, if they are near their opponents, goal, line, and trying to leave no time on the clock if they score.

Also, during these penalties under two minutes, I think the offending  teams coach should know that after their penalty that the play clock may start on your ready because they may want to take a time out to actually stop the clock until the next snap

What kind of discussions are you having with your crew and your side line during these under two minute penalty situations? Particularly in close games. Thank you.

Under two minutes has nothing to do with the play clock. The play clock still starts at 25 or 40 as per the rest of the game.  Fouls under two minutes May affect the game clock. 

And definitely you need to let your sideline know in a late and close situation whether the clock starts on the whistle or the snap for exactly the reasons you state.  The offending team doesn’t have an option as to whether to wait for the snap or not, but they definitely should be kept aware.

[Derek Teigen]

Thanks yes I meant game clock but language is important!

[bama_stripes]

“Ready to snap, OK.
Snap to ready, no way.”