Something to think about, for when these tactics show up on a Friday or Saturday.
https://deadspin.com/bill-belichick-delights-in-tormenting-the-hapless-jets-18392469131. 4/2 @ B-33. The play clock expires while Team A is in a scrimmage kick formation.
NFL ruling: DOG, clock on RFP, PC 25. Team B declines the penalty.
2. 4/2 @ B-33. With :02 on the play clock, A38 commits an intentional false start (the players laugh about it on the video; it's pretty funny).
NFL ruling: FST, clock on RFP(!), PC 25. Team B declines the penalty.
"Afterward, Belichick admitted that he’d knowingly exploited a loophole in the rules in order to run off some additional clock with his team way ahead."
A loophole that, incidentally, NCAA has long closed. In college, Play 1 above results in a dead clock, regardless of whether the penalty is accepted, and regardless of game situation or referee's suspicion; it doesn't rely on the referee's discretion.
In Play 2, NCAA rule 3-4-3 allows the R to unilaterally deviate from clock rules when a team is pulling shenanigans. We could certainly have put this clock on the snap, even with more than 9:00 remaining in the game. I don't know whether the NFL has a similar rule, but if so, this sure seems like a fitting scenario for invoking it.
Just some interesting stuff to think about. What would you do if Play 2 happened first, i.e. with no prior time-wasting penalty in the sequence? What would you do if the FST wasn't so obviously intentional? What would you do if the FST happened with 10 seconds on the play clock instead of 1 or 2? What would you do if the foul wasn't a FST but another blow-and-throw, say, a 12th player lining up in formation before the snap? And so on.
