The fact that a ball moves forward does not mean its a forward pass James. . The qb must have , in the minds of the refs, control of the ball at the time of its release for it to be a pass. Otherwise should a defensive player knock the ball in the air from the qb as his arm is going backward to pass the qb could, before the ball hits the ground, slap the ball forward and to the ground and claim its an incomplete pass and not a fumble. I give you what occurred in the SD game was not as obvious as that but it points out why the rule exists. When I saw that play I too questioned the ruling believing it to be a pass. However, if you slow it down you can see the qb does not have complete possession of the ball as his arm begins to move forward. The forward motion of the ball could be explained by the fact that his hand had enough contact with the ball -although not control -that his forward motion caused the movement of the ball. Control at the time the arm begins its movement forward is the key. The forward motion could also be explained in the video by the fact that the defensive player strikes the hand of the qb and you can see that clearly affects the ball's flight and trajectory. Note the direction the defensive player is moving when he strikes the qb's hand.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2021 07:35PM by waterfield.
