Today's Tidbit... The Jump Pass

The legend says that Bronco Nagurski threw the first jump pass in the 1932 NFL Championship game when he had the ball in his backfield, began running forward, and suddenly jumped straight up and threw the ball to a teammate a bit downfield. The Bears' opponents, the Portsmouth Spartans, protested the play, arguing that Nagurski had thrown the pass from within five yards of the line of scrimmage, which was illegal then.

The NFL changed its rule in 1933, allowing passing from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. The NCAA followed suit in 1945, which opened up much of the short passing game we know today. Changing that rule was one in a long line that liberated the passing game since any quick pass thrown immediately after the snap, from a three-step drop or a five-step drop, was illegal until the rules changed.

Using the jump pass makes sense when throwing a quick pop pass over the line in the old double-tight lineups, particularly for teams with a short quarterback. In his 1950 Football: Secrets of the "Split T" Formation, Don Faurot discusses the quarterback throwing a jump pass after the buck fake, a play often called a buck pass. The diagram below shows a similar play from the belly series.

('Jump Pass Off Fullback Belly Action,' Spokesman-Review (Spokane), November 23, 1958.)