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lateral passes attempted
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:40 pm
by ChrisBabcock
I managed a trip to the Hall on Saturday and came across this in the "NFL's first century" room. In 1946 Bill Dudley led the league in "lateral passes attempted". I have never heard of such a stat being tracked. I would think a lateral pass would be a backward pass? Nowadays that would be tracked as a rushing attempt by the player who caught that screen pass. In 1946 was an overhand pass that traveled backward tracked as a separate stat other than a rushing attempt? If so, when did that change to how its tracked today as a rushing attempt?
Re: lateral passes attempted
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:31 pm
by TodMaher
Back then laterals were a separate stat. Then they changed it to the way the count laterals today - they are part of originating play - rush, reception, kickoff return, etc.
Laterals behind the line scrimmage - i.e. "pitchouts" or backward passes - are not (and never have been) statistically counted as laterals. On plays from scrimmage (rushing attempts and pass receptions) they count only if they occur beyond the line of scrimmage.
Re: lateral passes attempted
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:49 pm
by Bryan
TodMaher wrote:Laterals behind the line scrimmage - i.e. "pitchouts" or backward passes - are not (and never have been) statistically counted as laterals. On plays from scrimmage (rushing attempts and pass receptions) they count only if they occur beyond the line of scrimmage.
Why did they stop counting laterals? Seems like it would be an interesting stat.
Re: lateral passes attempted
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 2:06 pm
by RyanChristiansen
Bryan wrote:Why did they stop counting laterals? Seems like it would be an interesting stat.
It would be, but I think the use of the lateral largely disappeared as the Pro Set displaced wing-style offenses. I think the lateral continued to be prolific on option run style college offenses, but not in the pros.
Re: lateral passes attempted
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:30 pm
by TodMaher
Bryan wrote:TodMaher wrote:Laterals behind the line scrimmage - i.e. "pitchouts" or backward passes - are not (and never have been) statistically counted as laterals. On plays from scrimmage (rushing attempts and pass receptions) they count only if they occur beyond the line of scrimmage.
Why did they stop counting laterals? Seems like it would be an interesting stat.
The NFL stopped scoring them as a separate category in 1949.