by Adam Colbert
Even as a diehard Patriots fan, I am not a big fan of the rule that won us our first Super Bowl. This rule should be abolished from the game, and no team should get the debatable call that could affect the game’s outcome. It was becoming too hard to tell when the rule should apply, the rule that ended one dynasty and started another, the tuck rule.
Twenty-nine NFL teams voted to withdraw the “tuck rule” from the rule book at the annual NFL owners meeting on March 20 in Phoenix. The Pittsburgh Steelers voted to keep it. The New England Patriots and the Washington Redskins did not participate in the vote.
For those who don’t know, the tuck rule applies when an offensive player is holding the ball to pass it forward, moves his arm forward to pass the ball(or a pump fake) then brings it back into his body but loses possession of the ball before it is actually tucked into his body. According to the rule, this play is an incomplete pass instead of a fumble.
The rule was created in 1999 to protect the quarterback. Not many had heard of the rule before the AFC divisional round between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders on January 19, 2002.
It was a snowy day in Foxboro, Massachusetts, and the Raiders had the 13-10 lead with 1:50 left in the game. Tom Brady took the snap and took a few steps back to pass the ball. He then pump faked the ball, and blitzing Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson tackled Brady. Woodson stripped the ball from Brady, and linebacker Greg Biekert recovered it.
But according to Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2 of the NFL rule book, it was an incomplete pass.
The Patriots were then able to kick a 45-yard field goal in the snow to tie the game with 27 seconds left on the clock. The game went into overtime, and Patriots’s Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning, 23-yard field goal.
A lot of people do not see the point of the rule. Twenty-nine NFL teams don’t see the point of it. What gives the quarterback that special power to fumble the ball after moving his arm in a forward motion? The quarterback never released the ball to throw, and he dropped the ball. Why is that not a fumble? Should wide receivers get the power to secure the ball before getting tackled?
At what point does safety come into play? The quarterback still gets tackled. The call is just ruled an incomplete pass if he drops it pulling it back into his body.
There are other, better rules to protect the quarterbacks, such as the rule against tackling them below the knees. The tuck rule does not protect the quarterback. Ruling a fumble an incomplete pass is not going to protect the quarterback from injuries.
There is a photo of the aftermath of the play that made the tuck rule famous. Brady is on the ground after being tackled, surrounded by Greg Biekert and Charles Woodson. His shoulder pads are up over his jersey, and his helmet is shifted. He had taken a hard hit for sure, and that call did not protect him.
Rules that prevent the defense from tackling the quarterback below the knees save injuries. In fact, that rule was designed after Brady tore an ACL after a hit from the Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Bernard Pollard. This rule will protect the quarterbacks’ knees and keep them off the sideline and on the field.
Since safety does not seem to apply, what is the point of the rule? I’m sure Raiders fans would like to know. To end the confusion, twenty-nine teams voted to eliminate the rule. The NFL has made the right choice.