In several forms of football a forward pass
is a throwing of the ball in the direction that the offensive team is
trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass
is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron football (American football and Canadian football) in which the play is legal and widespread, and rugby football (union and league) from which the North American games evolved, in which the play is illegal.
In some football codes, such as association football
(soccer), the kicked forward pass is used so ubiquitously that it is
not thought of as a distinct kind of play at all. In these sports, the
concept of offside
is used to regulate who can be in front of the play or be nearest to
the goal. However, this has not always been the case. Some earlier
incarnations of football allowed unlimited forward passing, while others
had strict offside rules similar to rugby.
The development of the forward pass in American football shows how
the game has evolved from its rugby roots into the distinctive game it
is today. Illegal and experimental forward passes had been attempted as
early as 1876, but the first legal forward pass in American football
took place in 1906, after a change in rules. Another change in rules
occurred on January 18, 1951, which established that no center, tackle,
or guard could receive a forward pass. Today, the only linemen who can
receive a forward pass are the ends. Current rules regulate who may
throw and who may receive a forward pass, and under what circumstances,
as well as how the defensive team may try to prevent a pass from being
completed. The primary pass thrower is the quarterback,
and statistical analysis is used to determine a quarterback's success
rate at passing in various situations, as well as a team's overall
success at the "passing game." HOPE IT HELPS!
