- [Will] I was thinking at a certain point,
it would be cool if shows could get mascots.
I was trying to figure out
what the Weird Rules mascot could potentially be.
- [Clara] Okay, here's what I'm thinking.
It's like a robot, like WALL-E,
because it's sort of robotic to know all the rules,
you have-- - Right, right.
- [Clara] A lot of information in there,
so he like zips around the screen and every now and then,
he sort of just like he stops like he has a...
And the animation becomes like he has a headache
and bolts shoot out of him because he's broken.
Every now and then, every now and then.
- So, I kind of feel like what you just described
is like a more flawed Clippy.
(Clara laughing)
- Yeah. He definitely has Clippy's face and coloring.
- Which honestly like,
Clippy was kind of your computer referee for a bit.
- That's true.
He helped, he knew all the rules,
he was a little bit annoying,
but when he was gone you missed him.
(Will laughing)
- I think we can give the animators a little time
to like do some mock-ups, get some rounds of approval going,
but in the meantime I have one real meat world suggestion.
- Okay.
- I would like to introduce you to this referee.
His name is Ron Cherry and he's my nominee,
because during the 2013 Fiesta Bowl he uttered this phrase,
which might as well be the motto to Weird Rules.
- On the previous play we have an unusual ruling.
- And I like how Cherry was so very matter of fact,
he's saying something's unusual, something's remarkable,
but I'm not, I'm saying it flat, man.
- He recognizes the situation of him being a referee
talking to the viewer at home who never pays attention.
He's just like, "Y'all, you're gonna wanna hear this one."
- I wish I saw that in his face a little bit,
but we can work with him.
I mean if he's gonna be the best guy,
we can work with him, we can work with it.
- Yeah, Tyson, do you have any cheery Cherry
lined up for us, Tyson?
Can you get us a little cheery Cherry.
- Cheery Cherry.
- So, we will get to how Ron Cherry,
in my mind fits as a great mascot,
but the point of this episode
is actually that unusual ruling.
- Oh, yes.
- So, the ruling is actually so unusual
that this took place in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl,
it has happened and been called in college football,
but it has never been called in the NFL,
and that is the one point safety.
- Oh, okay.
- Probably the most well known weird rule
that has not gotten an episode of Weird Rules yet.
So, we'll pull from the NFL rule book,
where it is rule 11 section three, article two dash C,
which states if the try i.e. the extra point,
or the two point conversion attempt following a touchdown,
results in what would ordinarily
be a safety against either team,
one point is awarded to the opponent.
So this is most famous
because it is the only way in American football
you can score a single point at a time.
- Gotcha. It's a little bit confusing.
Now, I don't wanna admit that but... (laughs)
- No, no, no, no. We'll cut this out.
We'll figure-- - Okay. Yeah.
- So, continue, continue.
Why is it confusing?
- I just feel like I need to hear it again and again.
- I think the area that makes this confusing,
is it is a rule that requires,
such a weird sequence of events,
and therefore in order to write the rule out,
you're kind of having to cover those sequences of events,
and when it can happen to either team on a play.
- It's like a decision tree,
that they're trying to write in rule book, paragraph form.
- Yep, and usually you're hitting an arrow
that just goes back to the start.
- Yeah. Yeah.
Stop it. Next.
- The easiest way,
and therefore the way I didn't lead off with,
the easiest way to understand this is to see it play out.
This has happened twice in division one college football.
The more clear cut instance of this
was the moment that Ron Cherry was there for
and gave his great line.
It was the 2013 Fiesta Bowl.
Oregon had just scored another touchdown
as they just blew the doors off Kansas state,
and on the ensuing extra point it starts with this block.
Right here it's basically where all of our hope rests,
because the ball has to go just perfectly,
to allow this to happen.
If it goes into the end zone,
if it goes out of the end zone, we're outta luck.
If it bounces back towards the kicking team,
no hope for the one point safety.
But instead it lands perfectly
in the arms of a Kansas State defender,
who, fortunately, is far enough outside of the end zone
that he's able to establish possession,
but close enough that retreat
makes sense in his brain momentarily,
and so he tries to save himself by running backwards,
where Oregon immediately swallows him up
and the play is over.
Ron gets his chance to come out and say "unusual,"
and the crowd goes wild.
- It's such a shame that running backwards rarely works out.
(all laughing)
- It would be a lot nicer
if opponents respected the retreat.
- Yeah. Like in war - Like in war.
- I assume, I don't know.
- But so, yeah, there's just all these little moments
within this where the ball has to fall the right way,
the split decision has to lead
the person back into the end zone.
It's a lot for the universe to handle at once.
- I wonder if, like how aware the players are
of the possibility of giving the other team a point
and is it embarrassing? Like back in the locker room,
where all his teammates like, oh.
- Oh, shit, is that one point, Steve?
- Yeah. - One point Steve.
- What up one point Steve?
Thanks. Thanks for helping the team.
- So, I do think there is something to that
where college football, despite these being fully grown men,
they still have these moments when chaos happens around them
where their instincts still kind of come out,
in a way that it looks closer to peewee football,
for just like a flash of second.
- Right, right, right.
These are still,
we don't wanna insult these people who could crush us,
but I understand what you're saying
and hopefully they do as well.
- I do think that kind of ties into part of the reason,
we haven't seen this in the NFL.
Like once you get to the NFL,
all of those individuals fighting for the jobs
are not gonna put themselves in the situation
where the one point safety can happen to them.
- I imagine it's just constantly running through their mind.
Like, don't go back there, don't go back there,
don't go back there.
- Now, there is an even bigger reason,
for why the one point safety,
has not ever happened in the NFL,
and that is because, up until 2015,
if the defense took possession of the ball
during an extra point or a two point conversion attempt,
the play was dead. - Oh.
- Which drastically limits the opportunities,
for a one point safety to happen.
- That's gonna be more difficult.
So, they overruled it
just to put a little more whimsy back in, like...
- They opened it up so it was no longer a dead ball
but in my mind it feels extremely unlikely at this point,
further unlikely than this scenario already is to play out,
because of the extra point taking place from the 15 now.
- Yeah. Yeah.
It's just seems like we're never gonna see it now.
Just a little disappointed, I guess.
- But there is hope, right?
Because like it could still play out,
on a two point conversion attempt.
- Yeah. Right, right, right, right.
Just to keep, you know, keep your chin up.
- The most realistic way this would play out
would require the ultimate dick referee,
but if the defense were to intercept the ball
in the end zone on a two point conversion attempt,
and the defense were to get called
for holding in the end zone once their team had possession.
- Oh, okay.
- I think that would then result in a safety
and thus be of the one point variety.
- Okay. I mean, most referees are dicks, right?
- I mean, it's been a while since we had a "Clara Hot Take."
Usually you're going after the sun,
so I do feel like you have stepped
a few rungs down on the ladder
in terms of potential enemies to pick fights with.
- Once in a basketball class in college,
you had to referee and I was so bad at it.
Again, it goes back to like not having the confidence
to be like "Everyone, stop!
(whistle blowing)
I think I saw something!" it was like,
but then if you don't do that,
then a lot, like the other half Of the people get mad at you.
There's no way to, yeah, I was just terrible at it.
So that's probably why I'm attacking them now.
- Hearing basketball class was interesting.
- It made me sound not smart, I have to say.
- Counterpoint. I was gonna say it made you sound not cool.
- Oh, awesome.
Why did I say anything?
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