Question: when a QB "clocks" the football

[IronEagle]

shouldn't it be intentional grounding?

Watching the Sound FX replay of the SB and the thought just occured to me.

They never have called it that way, and they should not have done so in the SB.

But it seems to me that by the rules it should always be intentional grounding. QB in the pocket, no receivers in the vicinity. Am i missing something?

[art vandelay]

I always wondered about this. But for grounding to occur, the QB has to be under pressure. It makes sense that he's not considered to he under pressure right at the snap.

[IronEagle]

PS: I just googled it and there is something in the rule about QB having to be under defensive pressure and trying to evade loss of yardage for it to be intentional grounding So that allows for spiking to kill the clock.

[Pete]

Found this

shouldn't it be intentional grounding?

Watching the Sound FX replay of the SB and the thought just occured to me.

They never have called it that way, and they should not have done so in the SB.

But it seems to me that by the rules it should always be intentional grounding. QB in the pocket, no receivers in the vicinity. Am i missing something?

https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules...nal-grounding/

To summarize: you can “clock” it to save time if you take the snap, then go into and through a complete throwing motion while spiking it.

[Susquehanna Birder]

The grounding call was established in response to QBs trying to avoid getting sacked (and losing yardage). Thus the penalty includes loss of down.

Since clocking the ball is only concerned with stopping the clock, the grounding foul doesn't apply.

[TRENT]

I always thought they created a separate rule for spiking the ball

or clocking it,,,,Just thought it was one of those late 70's rules to help the O. U never hear the words in the Grasp anymore.

[Susquehanna Birder]

They definitely clarified the grounding rule and describing the QB being in the tackle box, and the ball not making the line of scrimmage. But as far as I know, the clocking thing was just something the teams started doing and the refs let it go since it wasn't done to avoid the sack.