Look, halfback passes are dumb in the very FIRST place. They are especially DUMB on first down near the end zone. Would everyone please gather around and let us explore how many TD passes have been thrown, in the entire NFL history, by a halfback running a HB Pass Play. Please?
Lots of guys have thrown TD's on HB passes. You usually throw it when you're in a short yardage situation where the defense will sell out against the run. I've usually seen it in a goal line situation.
Last year, the following Running Backs and Wide Receivers threw a pass:
Ricky Williams (interception)
LaDanian Tomlinson (incomplete)
Reggie Wayne (interception)
Clinton Portis (incomplete)
Brian Westbrook (incomplete)
Chris Brown (interception)
Michael Clayton (incomplete)
Mewelde Moore (6 yard TD)
Braylon Edwards (incomplete)
Mark Clayton (the other one, complete for 0 yards)
Mark Bradley (complete for 26 yards)
Santonio Holmes (interception)
Joseph Addai (22 yard TD)
Brad Smith (complete for 27 yards)
Fred Jackson (complete for 27 yards)
Michael Spurlock (incomplete)
Michael Bush (incomplete)
Legedu Naanee (complete for 21 yards)
Tim Castille (incomplete)
Chris Johnson (incomplete)
Ray Rice (incomplete)
Ronnie Brown threw 6 of them, completed 2 of them and one of those was a TD.
That's just this past season. So it's not like this is some weird and unusual thing that no team has in their playbook. Everybody has the play and most teams try it at least once during the season.
It was not a stupid call.