Receiving
While quarterbacks are mainly not a factor in terms of receiving forward passes, some trick plays, like the flea flicker, require quarterbacks to catch a lateral by a wide receiver or running back before delivering a forward pass. In the wildcat formation, a quarterback lines up as a flank receiver who can be used to catch a forward pass. Typically the quarterback is not thrown to in this formation, but serves as a decoy, as even the least mobile quarterbacks are capable of catching a ball for positive yardage. Occasionally, some backup quarterbacks may be used to receive long snaps as a holder for field goal or extra point attempts, as quarterbacks generally have good ball handling skills, and may have to become the passer in the event of a bad snap, an aborted kick attempt or a designed trick play.
Under NFL rules, if a quarterback lines up under center, he is by definition ineligible and not allowed to receive a forward pass. However, in college and high school ball, quarterbacks are eligible receivers (by a special exemption in the high school rule books) regardless of whether they are under center or in a shotgun formation. The NFL allows a quarterback in a shotgun formation to receive a forward pass.
Read more about this topic: Quarterback
Famous quotes containing the word receiving:
“The same polarity of the male and female principle exists in nature; not only, as is obvious in animals and plants, but in the polarity of the two fundamental functions, that of receiving and penetrating. It is the polarity of earth and rain, of the river and the ocean, of night and day, of darkness and light, of matter and spirit.”
—Erich Fromm (1900–1980)
“When receiving an order, many servants repeat their “yes” numerous times, especially the lazy ones.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“Generally, about all perception, we can say that a sense is what has the power of receiving into itself the sensible forms of things without the matter, in the way in which a piece of wax takes on the impress of a signet ring without the iron or gold.”
—Aristotle (384–323 B.C.)