Tuck rule

The tuck rule is a rule in American football, currently used only by the National Football League (NFL).

Introduced in 1999, it reads:

NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.

Ordinarily, if the quarterback drops or loses the football while he is bringing the ball forward in a passing motion, and the ball touches the ground, it is considered an incomplete pass. If the quarterback drops or loses the football at any other time, it is considered a fumble, as if any other player had dropped it.

The tuck rule is an exception to this rule. It applies if the quarterback brings his arm forward in a passing motion, but then changes his mind and tries to keep hold of the football rather than making a pass. In this situation, if the quarterback loses the ball while stopping his passing motion or bringing the ball back to his body, it is still considered a forward pass (and thus an incomplete pass if the ball hits the ground). Mike Pereira, the former director of officiating of the NFL, noted that the design of the rule obviates the need to consider the quarterback's intent, although the referee still must judge whether the initial forward movement of the arm was "intentional" on the part of the player or not.

The rule is not without its critics. Former Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs said, "It makes no sense to me. It's the way it's worded. I think everybody probably sees that and says it's a bad rule."

2002 controversy

Main article: 2001-2002 AFC Divisional Playoff game

See also: NFL playoffs, 2001-02

The tuck rule resulted in a controversial finish to an NFL playoff game on January 19, 2002, between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders.

In the closing moments of the fourth quarter of the game in a snowy Foxboro Stadium, with New England trailing by three points, New England quarterback Tom Brady dropped back to pass. After he had begun a passing motion, Brady apparently ceased his throwing motion, pulled his right hand down below his shoulder and had touched the ball to his left hand when, coming off the strong side corner blitz, Charles Woodson knocked the ball out of Brady's hands. Raiders middle linebacker Greg Biekert then fell on the loose football. The officials initially called the play a recovered fumble, which would have sealed the victory for the Raiders. But after instant replay, referee Walt Coleman reversed this call, declared the play an incomplete forward pass, and gave possession back to New England. In explaining the reversal to the stadium crowd and the television audience, the referee stated that the ball was moving forward at the time it was dropped. In later interviews, the referee stated that it was his explanation, not the reversal, that was in error; the ball was moving backwards when it was lost, but the tuck rule applied. In any case, Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri later tied the game with a dramatic 45-yard field goal, and the Patriots took advantage of the momentum they had seized, defeating the Raiders in overtime on another field goal and eliminating them from the playoffs. Two games later, the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI.

While the NFL has defended the call, not everybody has agreed. Bruce Allen, who ran the front office for the Raiders at the time of the game, still believes it was a fumble. "The rule itself doesn't bother me," he said. "But the way the rule is written, it was a fumble." Nevertheless, when the NFL's Competition Committee re-examined the rule after the 2001-2002 season, they made no changes to the rule; Pereira notes that attempts have been made to revise the rule, but such revisions have always proven to be more difficult to enforce than the current rule.

The tuck rule also was enforced in the NFL playoff game on January 9, 2011 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. After this game, Mike Pereira, the former NFL vice-president for officiating, stated that he was no longer in support of the tuck rule.