Америкалық футболдағы соңғы үміт сырғаны

Long pass play in American football usually made in desperation

A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catholic "Hail Mary" prayer for strength and help. The term became widespread after an NFL playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings on December 28, 1975 (see Cowboys–Vikings rivalry), when Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach said about his game winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson, "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary."

The term "Hail Mary" is sometimes used to refer to any last ditch effort with little chance of success. In military uses, General Norman Schwarzkopf described his strategy during the Persian Gulf War to bypass the bulk of Iraqi forces in Kuwait by attacking in a wide left sweep through their rear as a "Hail Mary" plan. This usage, however, did not refer to the plan's chances of success but to the movement of Coalition forces to the left side of the front lines prior to the attack, which reflected the formation for a Hail Mary pass in which all the offensive team's wide receivers line up on one side of the line of scrimmage. Various legal actions attempting to overturn Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 U. S. presidential election, in particular the Texas v. Pennsylvania Supreme Court lawsuit, were described as "Hail Marys". There are similar usages in other fields, such as a "Hail Mary shot" in photography where a photographer holds the view finder of an SLR camera away from the eyes (so unable to compose the picture), usually high above the head, and takes a shot. This is often used in crowded situations. In computer security, a "Hail Mary attack" will throw every exploit it has against a system to see whether any of them work. When the Pennsylvania Republican Party sold its headquarters in Harrisburg to the Catholic Church, this was described by The New York Times as "a real life Hail Mary". After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Pope Francis' attempts to stop the conflict by consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was called the "Pope's Hail Mary pass". At the end of the NASCAR Cup Series' 2022 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Ross Chastain's wall ride move to get the positions he needed to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 was given the name "Hail Melon", combining the name of the football pass play with Chastain's association with watermelons.