Was the last play in The Longest Yard(2005) completely fair?

Was the last play in The Longest Yard(2005) completely fair? - Cute siblings resting in green garden

After the trick-play (Fumblerooski) to level scores against the guards, the Mean Machine go for the two-point conversion. Here, they start talking among themselves and Crewe with Scarborough to confuse the guards.

Is this kind of trick play legal in the game of American Football? On a similar note, are all the plays shown in the movie authentic and legal?

NOTE: Please pardon my ignorance of the game.



Best Answer

Only certain types of deception or misdirection are prohibited in football; specifically, anything that simulates a snap or the beginning of a play is prohibited (so a center making jerking movements, a back starting to run forward, etc.). The talking, slow standing, moving backward, etc. is all allowed.

Having said that, there is another rule that states that those on the line (and there must be at least 6 when the ball is snapped) must be completely set at least 1 second before the snap. Notice when Crewe is heading over to talk to Scarborough ... several linemen stand up. This is legal, but if they don't either A) get back down in their stances for at least one second, or B) stay perfectly still for at least one second, then they would be penalized. The last view we see is of Crewe, and then the ball is snapped, so we never see what the linemen do.

To sum everything up, it is certainly plausible as a legal play, but the camera angles make it impossible to confirm or deny whether it was executed legally.

EDIT (to address rest of question): Nothing throughout the rest of the movie really sticks out in my mind as being obviously illegal or implausible, although admittedly it's been 4 or 5 years since I watched the whole thing ... I refreshed my memory on Netflix of those final scenes last night. One thing to note about the final scoring play (before the two-point conversion); while the Fumblerooski is a perfectly legal play in pro football most of the time (it was banned in college football in 1992), a while ago the pro rules were changed that outlaw it in the final two minutes of either half or when it's fourth down (in those situations, the rule now states that an offensive player can only advance a fumbled ball if he is the one who fumbled it). I don't believe that rule was in effect at the time the movie was made, however, so we'd have to assume the game was being played under pro rules (or some form of house rules).




Pictures about "Was the last play in The Longest Yard(2005) completely fair?"

Was the last play in The Longest Yard(2005) completely fair? - Interested little boy exploring stone
Was the last play in The Longest Yard(2005) completely fair? - Pile of Plush Toy
Was the last play in The Longest Yard(2005) completely fair? - Side view of little boy in casual clothes and brown hat playing with plastic toys in backyard



What happens at the end of The Longest Yard?

As he is wheeled off the field, Nate tells Crewe to "screw Hazen" and win the game. Crewe scores the winning touchdown with no time left and the "Mean Machine" wins, 36-35.

Did Paul Crewe shave the points?

Crewe calls a time out and admits he was point shaving in both this game and the one that got him cut from the NFL. Informing the team of Hazen's threats, he declares that he would rather stay with the inmates than throw another game and disgrace Caretaker's memory.

Does Crewe get out of jail?

Answer: CreweHe gets sent off to prison where he must put together a football team to play against the guards. In the end he prevails in the game against the guards by getting a 2 point conversion.



the longest yard ending




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Allan Mas, Allan Mas, Pixabay, Allan Mas