clock question

**larry** · 02-03-2008, 10:48 PM

Anybody feel free to set me straight, but if the ball is run out of bounds, doesn't the clock stop until the ball is snapped again?

I would swear that twice during the Pat's last scoring drive, the first time being when Maroney ran nine yards on first down, that the clock started when the ball was placed. Anybody who has tivo'd the game please check...

**superdorf** · 02-03-2008, 10:56 PM

Just watched that drive... THe play happened at about 6:32 to go in the 4th... And it looked like he went out of bounds, then they did wind the clock... However, you couldn't see an official making the call... I didn't see anyone waving both hands....

**ISU Clone** · 02-03-2008, 10:57 PM

I beleive if a player has foreward motion inbounds then goes out, the clock will continue to run.

**cloneu** · 02-03-2008, 10:57 PM

This is from the NFL website.

With the exception of the last two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the second half, the game clock will be restarted following a kickoff return, a player going out of bounds on a play from scrimmage, or after declined penalties when appropriate on the referee’s signal

**superdorf** · 02-03-2008, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by cloneu

This is from the NFL website.

Wow... didn't know that... rep to you.

**cloneu** · 02-03-2008, 11:01 PM

Found this to be an interesting rule from the NFL website.

When, in the judgment of the Referee, the level of crowd noise prevents the offense from hearing its signals, he can institute a series of procedures which can result in a loss of team time outs or a five-yard penalty against the defensive team.

**EggMcClone** · 02-04-2008, 08:45 AM

I remember when they would try to enforce that rule and QBs would turn around to the ref trying to get him to make the call. Then they would warn the crowd and the crowd would inevitably get even louder but the ref wouldn't want to actually throw the flag. Just a completely ridiculous rule.

**jdoggivjc** · 02-04-2008, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by cloneu

Found this to be an interesting rule from the NFL website.

I have never heard of an instance where that was enforced in the NFL, and I can only ever remember it being enforced once at the collegiate level - I think it was Ohio St-Iowa at Columbus in the early '90s. OSU was really rocking and the play clock expired consecutively, and the Iowa QB had a helpless look on his face that no matter what he said or did the center couldn't hear him and he couldn't get the play off. The officials recognized this and penalized the crowd by taking away an OSU timeout. Only time I've ever seen that happen.

I also think that offenses, including silent snap counts, have gotten so sophisticated that that rule is now pretty much obsolete - the crowd could be louder than a jet engine and with a simple lift or two of the leg the play's going to "get off."