Can I ask a really dumb question ahead of tonight's conference finals, just to help me enjoy them a little more - the defensive players who "shadow" wide receivers on their runs are allowed to try and intercept the ball themselves, aren't they? Only in the highlights from some playoff games so far, it almost looks like they aren't. The Ravens in particular scored one against the Chargers where Favre's pass dropped right over the head of the defensive guy, plopping into the hands of the WR. All the Charger bloke had to do was stick a hand up, and he'd at least have knocked the ball away into touch, if not caught it himself. Why didn't he seem to try?

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote:
The Ravens in particular scored one against the Chargers where Favre's pass dropped right over the head of the defensive guy, plopping into the hands of the WR.

That was intentional, right Rogin?

The answer is that after five yards from the line of scrimmage, the defensive player--usually a cornerback, who typically cover the receivers man-on-man, while the safeties stick to the center of the field and play a sort of zone coverage--cannot make any contact with the receiver. Of course contact happens, but if the referee sees contact and thinks that it was enough to prevent the receiver from catching the pass, then it is ruled pass interference. Especially if the cornerback makes contact while not trying to make a play on the ball.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_interference

Oops, Cowboys, not Chargers, right Inca!

So they're basically afraid to make a rash "grab" for the ball, but if they were to do so cleanly, it would be a turnover, would it?

Yeah, a fair catch would be an interception.

I'd imagine it's pretty difficult for a defensive back to cover a receiver step for step while keeping his eye on the quarterback/ball, as well.

the defensive players who "shadow" wide receivers on their runs are allowed to try and intercept the ball themselves, aren't they?

Yes. They're called "Cornerbacks." On a defense, the first line of defense (usually the big fatasses) is called "the line," and the people who protect against the pass (usually incredibly fast speedsters who had bad hands and thus are not playing wide receiver) are called the "Secondary" or "Defensive Backs."

The secondary stars the cornerbacks - who shadow the wide receivers - and free safties, who essetially act as Franz Beckenbaueresque sweepers.

However, offenses have their timing down to such an extent that corners quite often have no chance. Also, if a corner goes for an interception instead of a tackle, they may give up a long TD run. (Think about defenders in football diving in against Messi. Not the best idea.)

Only in the highlights from some playoff games so far, it almost looks like they aren't. The Ravens in particular scored one against the Chargers where Favre's pass dropped right over the head of the defensive guy, plopping into the hands of the WR. All the Charger bloke had to do was stick a hand up, and he'd at least have knocked the ball away into touch, if not caught it himself. Why didn't he seem to try?

You have a few things mixed up. The Ravens are from Baltimore, and play in purple. They play in the AFC. They did not play the Chargers, from San Diego this year in the playoffs. The New York Jets did last week, and beat them. They're in green and white.

Brett Favre does play for a purple team, but they're the Minnesota Vikings, and they're in the NFC. The NFC and AFC teams may meet during the year, but never play each other in the playoffs. The winner of each division plays in the Super Bowl. They defeated Dallass last week, who are the Manchester United/New York Yankees/Juventus/Bayern Munich of the NFL.

Like goalkeeping, sometimes defensive backs look stupid due to the greatness of the offense, rather than the ineptitude of their play. Almost always they have to watch the player they're marking instead of the ball, and then make a "play on the ball" only when the eyes of the receiver get bigger. Caught in a Catch-22 (sorry) in which if they watch the ball, their man gets loose, or if they watch their man, they can't see the ball coming, they can look like the situation you just described. This is why safeties are so important, as they can essentially "mark" the ball instead of the man.

As Inca said, if they touch the receiver, it's a pass intereference. In college it's only a 15=yard penalty. In the NFL, the ball gets placed where the foul occurred. So if you throw it 65-yards to the 1 yard line, you can essentially have a 65-yard penalty. It's by far the worst penalty to have called against you.

This is necessary, of course, because all players would have to do is tackle their player and sit on them for 5-10 seconds.

(Apologies for any repeats, as I started writing this a few hours ago and only could post it now.)

I'm also getting really fucking nervous. This city could really, really, really use this win.

Yes, the city will survive if they don't. But lawd will this be great if they can pull it off.

Thanks all for the (various) clarifications. I freely admit to only "getting back into" the NFL at probably precisely this stage of each season, but I do genuinely enjoy the sheer gladiatorial bit of the final playoff games and of course the Superbowl. Please forgive my obvious confusion as to what the hell's happened to date and indeed who's playing for whom, I really have only seen one (UK) channel's introduction to this weekend's games, which consisted mostly of slo-mo montages of action from the season to date, cut over hip-hop tracks.

So Favre's the ancient guy after one more big win with his new Vikings team and this guy Rice who's like the season's surprise MVP, but they're still not expected to beat the Saints, except the Saints themselves went off the boil after starting the season with 10 straight wins; and the Colts should on paper hammer the Jets, except the Jets have got this rookie QB who could be the next Joe Montana, and the Colts have a dreadful post-season "bottling" history.

Does that sum up better all I need to know before tonight's games?

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote:


So Favre's the ancient guy after one more big win with his new Vikings team and this guy Rice who's like the season's surprise MVP, but they're still not expected to beat the Saints, except the Saints themselves went off the boil after starting the season with 10 straight wins; and the Colts should on paper hammer the Jets, except the Jets have got this rookie QB who could be the next Joe Montana, and the Colts have a dreadful post-season "bottling" history.

Does that sum up better all I need to know before tonight's games?

Not too bad a summary re: the Colts/Jets game (however Sanchez not very likely to give Joe Montana's legacy a challenge) but the Vikes/Saints game is somewhat of a tossup. Home field and turnovers are usually huge factors.

Colts are the Super Bowl veterans of the bunch having won it twice and most recently in 2007. The Jets last won in 1969, the Vikes have never won and have lost four - the last being in 1977. If the Saints win today it would be their first appearance.

Pretty much.

Favre is playing for a team that was his absolute hated nemesis for almost his entire career. Think Becks or Roy Keane playing for Liverpool.

The Jets don't have the next Joe Montana as much as the next '85 Bears or '00 Ravens defense. Sanchez has been their weak link, but getting stronger all the time.

Yes, the Colts have a rep for choking.

And the guy who just missed that field goal, Jay Feeley of the Jets, is a scumbag rightwinger who appears on various scumbag rightwing Nazi radio shows like Sean Hannity. He also talked shit on Twitter about Chris Henry of the Bengals when he died this year (saying he lived "life close to the edge," when Henry died falling off the edge of a pickup truck.)

17-13 Jets at the half.

Sanchez is indeed playing Montanaesque, but will need some late-game magic to truly lay any claims to that for real.

Manning seemingly got hot at the end, so it will be interesting to see Ryan's next stage to his gameplan.

27-17 Colts now. Looks like game over.

I have to say that it looks impossible to stop Manning on offense - his pass accuracy is just supernatural. The only way you can stop him is to keep him off the field. Thus, it's a shame we have essentially lost Greene, as we need to play ball control more than we're doing.

And now a three and out. Yeah, I'd say that's game over for sure now.

Still, at least we made a fist of it.

Shame I missed the first half due to first a misjudgment of the time difference and then a dodgy connection! Thus, the only TDs I've seen have been Colts ones!

As much as I wanted to see the Jets win this game, I have to admit that seeing the score made me smile. Just a little.


Also, as much as I want to see the Saints in the SB, the idea of Peyton Manning beating the crap out of Brett Favre also appeals. The clash of the dinosaurs.

I didn't know that about Feely. I just hope he dies a horrible death. I hate thinking I'm rooting for a team with a Nazi on, but I reckon most sports teams must have a right-winger or two. I'd think they outnumber the left-wingers in sports.

And a right-wing kicker? Prick. Seems you'd only have commie types for that wimpy position (wait, I kicked in high school - and I have serious left leanings...)

I miss the days of Toni Fritsch, Efren Herrera, Horst Muhlmann, Garo Yepremian, the Gogolak brothers and all the exotic foreign-born kickers.

The home team will be on the RIGHT HAND SIDE Rogin, in case you cannot work that out with less than ten summary characters at first glance.

Glad to see Rex Ryan and his Jets get schooled in the second half. I was all fine about the Jets until a week of the Post playing the asshole daily, and then the Jets doing a fricking Prep rally in Times Square for a conference championship.

Glad to see that Sanchez came out of it looking like he has prospects though. Strange how the Jets came with the moves they promised, but those moves only really lasted for the first three drives.

I look forward to seeing who the others are tomorrow morning as I am away in Europe (in a bar with 20 Jets fans, which may explain the relative life to my comments). Can't say I think any team is easier to beat than the other - maybe the Favre Vikings would prove trickier, with his whole media BS.

I know you all want the Vikes to lose, but a Vikes win tonight would make my wife the happiest woman in the entire world. Given the year she has had, I don't begrudge her that. And yes I know Favre is a twunt.

That's crazy, the guy who just had the personal foul called against him, Johnathan Casillas, I also taught at New Brunswick. He was Dwayne Jarrett's and Andre Dixon's teammate. I had no idea he was on the Saints. Cool dude as well.

OWWWWW!!! Favre is getting pounded. Best to warm Jackson up quick.