The official NFL Guide for Statisticians is a wonderful thing. Unlike the rulebook the refs have to use, which is a total mess (half the stuff in there is just the NFL banning some of the perfectly legal innovations we’ve made over the years), the statisticians guide is short, clear, and relatively intuitive. But my favorite part is the brain teasers. For some reason, the NFL decided to include dozens and dozens of completely bizarre hypotheticals as examples (sometimes ten or more per section). Some of them are so convoluted, I can only imagine that the folks who wrote it secretly just wanted to have a little fun trying to stump their fellow scorekeepers.
You think you have what it takes to be an official scorekeeper? Let’s see how well you untangle these messes!
First, you’re going to need the rules that are provided to the scorekeepers about how to score things:
All plays from scrimmage are rushing plays unless: 1. There is a kick from behind the line of scrimmage; or 2. There is a pass from behind the line of scrimmage; or 3. A player makes an apparent attempt to pass at any time before he or a teammate is tackled, steps out of bounds, or fumbles behind or at the line of scrimmage (in which case the play is ruled a sack.)
On a rushing play, credit the rushing attempt to the last offensive player to possess the ball behind the line of scrimmage. If a fumble occurs that is not recovered by the player who fumbled, credit the rushing attempt to the last offensive player to possess the ball behind the line of scrimmage before the fumble occurred. If the player who is credited with the rushing attempt completes a backward pass (lateral, handoff, reverse, etc…) to a teammate, credit the player responsible with yardage gained to the point of the second player’s possession.
Laterals subsequent to the originating play are considered as part of the play from which they originate. The receiver of a lateral is given credit for the yardage he gains from the point he receives the lateral BUT he is not given an attempt, return, or reception on the play. (See Exceptions listed under Kickoff Returns.) For example, a forward pass is completed and the receiver advances 40 yards, then laterals to a teammate who advances the ball an additional 20 yards. This is considered a 60-yard pass play. The first receiver is credited with the reception and 40 yards gained; his teammate, although not credited with a reception, would appear in the pass receiving section with 20 yards gained. If a touchdown is scored as a result of such a play, the player who scores shall be credited with a touchdown via receiving. In any case, the original play determines in what category the touchdown was made. When the receiver of a lateral is beyond the line of scrimmage, or if there is no line of scrimmage, it is his position that determines the yardage gained by each of the individuals involved. The player who throws the lateral is credited with yards gained only to the point at which the lateral is caught, provided this point is behind the spot from which the lateral is thrown (which it would have to be unless the officials missed the call.)
That should be all you need for the brain teasers!
All of these are verbatim directly from the official guide - I’ll put my own comments in brackets.
Example I: First-and-10 on opponent’s 20-yard line. Player runs to the 18, then pitches back to a teammate on the 22, where the teammate is downed.
Example II: First-and-10 on opponent’s 20-yard line. Player runs to the 15, then pitches back to a teammate on the 18; teammate runs to the 8.
Example III: First-and-10 on opponent’s 20-yard line. Quarterback hands ball to runner, who is about to be tackled at 25 when he laterals or hands ball to a teammate on the 26, where the teammate is downed.
Example IV: First-and-10 on opponent’s 20-yard line. Player runs to the 3, then laterals to a teammate on the 5, where the teammate is downed.
Example V: First-and-10 on opponent’s 20-yard line. Player runs to the 3, then laterals to a teammate on the 5; teammate runs for a touchdown.
Example VI: First-and-10 on opponent’s 20-yard line. Player runs to the 15, then pitches back to a teammate on the 18; this player pitches back to a teammate on the 20 where he is downed.