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Pats' trick play vs Baltimore no longer allowed


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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-disallows-patriots--trick--plays-that-stung-ravens-in-playoffs-191032438.html

The New England Patriots took advantage of the rules to beat the Baltimore Ravens in the postseason. On Wednesday, the NFL changed the rules.

The Patriots ran some four-man lines where running back Shane Vereen was on the line but ineligible and tight end Michael Hoomanawanui eligible despite lined up at what looked like a left tackle position. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh cried foul, and the league listened — now, but not then. (Harbaugh was assessed a 15-yard penalty for delay of game at the time.)

"It's not something that anybody has ever done before," Harbaugh said after the game in January. "They're an illegal type of a thing and I'm sure that [the NFL will] make some adjustments and things like that."

The rule has been changed as such: A player with an eligible receiver’s number (Nos. 1-49 and 80-89) must line up within the tackle box; if they line up incorrectly, a 5-yard penalty for illegal substitution will be levied.

Patriots team owner Robert Kraft was asked about the plays on Monday and denied that the team did anything shady or illegal, saying merely that Bill Belichick was coaching within the rules of the time.


"We didn’t take advantage of anything,” Kraft said. “We played by the rules. If you read the rulebook, you’d see that. We didn’t take advantage. We executed according to the rules, and we’ve always tried to do that.

 

“However you can get an edge within the rules, I compliment that.”

 

Now those rules have been changed. This often happens after the Patriots win big football games. They have kept winning games in the past, and we suspect they'll adjust accordingly and be fine going forward.

 

Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm

 

 

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The Ravens are whining on that one.  I give the Pats credit for that.  They pulled that trick (which wasn't illegal) out at just the right time. 

 

I agree. It was creative....and you knew when they had success with it, that the rules would be changed. It is shady but it was definitely legal so it was a smart move by the Pats.

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"Hey here's this little quirk in the rules that nobody, including us, ever takes advantage of. Let's whip it out when we REALLY need it, you know, like when we're getting whupped during what everyone considers normal play. I'm sure they know about it but hey, we're the only ones to have the BALLS to actually use it. We're the better team!"

 

or

 

"Hey here's this little quirk in the rules that nobody, including us, ever takes advantage of. Let's whip it out when we REALLY need it, you know, like when we're getting whupped during what everyone considers normal play. They don't even know about it, but I found it and am going to use it. The referees will be confused, they'll be confused and we'll win. We're the better team!"

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Without those plays and the Edleman to Amendola TD pass I don't think they win that game. Credit to NE for bringing them out when needed the most.....although the ineligible/eligible plays where they would report who's what immediately before the snap were a little cheap. Obviously the NFL also thought it was cheap since they just made them illegal.

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That was just great coaching and nothing else.  If you can find something within the rules that you know the other team will be caught off guard then you use it until they figure it out.

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That was just great coaching and nothing else.  If you can find something within the rules that you know the other team will be caught off guard then you use it until they figure it out.

 

Finding a loophole that you can exploit is not great coaching. Having the referees confused and unable to do their job correctly is not great coaching. Its fugazi.

 

There's a reason the play is now illegal.

 

Are you sure there have never been any other coaches that were aware of this particular rule? And if not, then how did Belicick become aware of it? Accident? Scouring the rule book for a play in which he can gain an advantage because no one else had the energy or lack of "gamesmanship" that he did?

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That was just great coaching and nothing else.  If you can find something within the rules that you know the other team will be caught off guard then you use it until they figure it out.

BS many of those plays should have been penalized as they were not even legally executed

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BS many of those plays should have been penalized as they were not even legally executed

 

Obviously illegal plays should have been flagged...(the only one I heard of being illegal was in the Indy game).  Of the ones that were legal, it was great coaching.

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Finding a loophole that you can exploit is not great coaching. Having the referees confused and unable to do their job correctly is not great coaching. Its fugazi.

 

There's a reason the play is now illegal.

 

Are you sure there have never been any other coaches that were aware of this particular rule? And if not, then how did Belicick become aware of it? Accident? Scouring the rule book for a play in which he can gain an advantage because no one else had the energy or lack of "gamesmanship" that he did?

 

He has a job to do and that job is to win football games.  If he or somebody in the organization spends so much time reviewing the rules that he is more prepared than his opponent at the end of the day, he has done his job exceedingly well.

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Of those plays that were illegal (the only one I heard of being illegal was in the Indy game), that should have been called.  Of the ones that were legal, it was great coaching.

 

 

He has a job to do and that job is to win football games.  If he or somebody in the organization spends so much time reviewing the rules that he is more prepared than his opponent at the end of the day, he has done his job exceedingly well.

 

So you can guarantee that no other coach knew about substituting players in this way and just didn't feel the need to exploit it?

 

I mean, it's not like he has done other fugazi (and illegal) things in the past, right?

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Finding a loophole that you can exploit is not great coaching. Having the referees confused and unable to do their job correctly is not great coaching. Its fugazi.

 

There's a reason the play is now illegal.

 

Are you sure there have never been any other coaches that were aware of this particular rule? And if not, then how did Belicick become aware of it? Accident? Scouring the rule book for a play in which he can gain an advantage because no one else had the energy or lack of "gamesmanship" that he did?

 

A loophole is the pick play.  It is illegal in the rule book.  It is rarely enforced on the offense.

 

Yet every team incorporates into their passing routes.

 

This is a matter of the league dumbing down the game.

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A loophole is the pick play.  It is illegal in the rule book.  It is rarely enforced on the offense.

 

Yet every team incorporates into their passing routes.

 

This is a matter of the league dumbing down the game.

watch the games skip, rub routes run properly are not pick plays, the 2nd wr cannot make contact with DB, pick plays involve the 2nd wr making contact.

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So you can guarantee that no other coach knew about substituting players in this way and just didn't feel the need to exploit it?

 

I mean, it's not like he has done other fugazi (and illegal) things in the past, right?

 

The illegal things in the past have noting at all to do with the legal things I'm talking about.

 

Based on the reaction from the league and Harbaugh's post game presser, it would appear that other coaches knew little or nothing about it.  Had they known about it they would have been ready for it.  If they'd been ready for it then no need to complain.

 

I don't like BB either..I think he's an A-hole who exploited the fact that he knew the officials would have their heads up their a$$es when those plays were called. That doesn't make it illegal.

 

I would like know however, if he alerted the officials to his intentions prior to the game.  That's something that is supposed to take place between HC and officials before kickoff.  If he said nothing to the refs then it was a douche move.

 

What it all boils down to though is that BB was willing to do more work than the other team and the refs.  I can't fault him for that....he out-prepared and outworked his opponent.  I hope Bowles has some of that in him.

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The illegal things in the past have noting at all to do with the legal things I'm talking about.

 

Based on the reaction from the league and Harbaugh's post game presser, it would appear that other coaches knew little or nothing about it.  Had they known about it they would have been ready for it.  If they'd been ready for it then no need to complain.

 

I don't like BB either..I think he's an A-hole who exploited the fact that he knew the officials would have their heads up their a$$es when those plays were called. That doesn't make it illegal.

 

I would like know however, if he alerted the officials to his intentions prior to the game.  That's something that is supposed to take place between HC and officials before kickoff.  If he said nothing to the refs then it was a douche move.

 

What it all boils down to though is that BB was willing to do more work than the other team and the refs.  I can't fault him for that....he out-prepared and outworked his opponent.  I hope Bowles has some of that in him.

 

I hope Bowles reads every single letter of the rulebook just in case he gets a lead.

 

It's funny that Belicick never used this before. Or has he? Did he just get around to reading the thing? He's been a head coach for a while now.

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I hope Bowles reads every single letter of the rulebook just in case he gets a lead.

 

It's funny that Belicick never used this before. Or has he? Did he just get around to reading the thing? He's been a head coach for a while now.

 

No idea...could be something he's been doing for years if used infrequently enough.  Just that this time the other team complained about not being able to defend it.

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I hope Bowles reads every single letter of the rulebook just in case he gets a lead.

 

It's funny that Belicick never used this before. Or has he? Did he just get around to reading the thing? He's been a head coach for a while now.

 

Whoah, whoah, whoah...let's not get ahead of ourselves here....Geno could still be the starter.

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I listed these in another thread.

 

- tuck rule, used once and then never seen again.

- camera filming the other team sidelines crack down.

- Brady low hit QB rule  (not instituted until Brady got hurt, ignored when Carson Palmer got hurt)

- New eligibility rules due to pats shenanigans.

- New concussion protocol aka the Edelman rule.

- Soon to be new football handling rules due to deflate gate.

 

The rules committee has spent half their time over the ;last few years plugging pat loop holes or making new rules due to the pats bending the rules to the breaking point.

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I listed these in another thread.

 

- tuck rule, used once and then never seen again.

- camera filming the other team sidelines crack down.

- Brady low hit QB rule  (not instituted until Brady got hurt, ignored when Carson Palmer got hurt)

- New eligibility rules due to pats shenanigans.

- New concussion protocol aka the Edelman rule.

- Soon to be new football handling rules due to deflate gate.

 

The rules committee has spent half their time over the ;last few years plugging pat loop holes or making new rules due to the pats bending the rules to the breaking point.

 

All true, but a lot of those things really have noting to do with the Pats themselves. 

 

- Tuck Rule should have never even existed, the fact that the Pats were the only team to ever benefit from it is horrible.

 

- Spygate will forever loom due to the league destroying tapes w/o allowing owners/fans to see what was on them.  Destroying evidence is never a great way to convince people that there was no competitive advantage.  Worst cheating scandal ever IMO.

 

- Hitting the QB was and still is getting more and more difficult to do.  Of course the league was going to act once Brady got hurt, but again that had nothing to do with the Pats themselves.  Not as if BB can walk in to a meeting and incorporate a rule change.

 

- The eligibility stuff is silly if it's based on a team not being able to stop it.  At the time it was used, it was legal...can't blame a team for playing within the rules to win a game.  Again, I hope  Bowles finds a few tricks he can use to legally win a SB.

 

- Concussion thing in on the league, not the Pats.  Every fan on the planet knows that a player is not going to pull himself out of the SB unless ordered by league physician or similar authority.  These guys (players and coaches) just want to win...especially in the moment.  That was a horrible failure by the league though...he was clearly out of it but apparently nothing in place to fix it on the spot.

 

- Football handling is another head scratcher.  Clearly there was something going on but the league will cover it up.  My thing is, how the hell did the league ever get to a point where they thought it would be a good idea to allow a team to handle their own footballs before a game?  Whether it was Brady or Manning or anyone requesting it, the league should've responded with a polite "ummmm...no".

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“However you can get an edge within the rules, I compliment that.”

Deflating footballs also? I think so. God, I hate those guys. Can't wait for the day Brady hangs them up and Belichicken follows him right out the door.  

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- Brady low hit QB rule  (not instituted until Brady got hurt, ignored when Carson Palmer got hurt)

Ignored this past year when Geno Smith was hit at the knees. BY THE PATRIOTS. Odd, how rules seem to change or get bent out of shape around those guys. 

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All true, but a lot of those things really have noting to do with the Pats themselves. 

 

- Tuck Rule should have never even existed, the fact that the Pats were the only team to ever benefit from it is horrible.

 

It was quietly removed by Goodell since it had never been used more than a time or two and the only team it ever benefited was the Pats.  Any other team and it probably does not get called in the 1st place.

 

- Spygate will forever loom due to the league destroying tapes w/o allowing owners/fans to see what was on them.  Destroying evidence is never a great way to convince people that there was no competitive advantage.  Worst cheating scandal ever IMO.

 

- Hitting the QB was and still is getting more and more difficult to do.  Of course the league was going to act once Brady got hurt, but again that had nothing to do with the Pats themselves.  Not as if BB can walk in to a meeting and incorporate a rule change.

 

I disagree on the above.  The  year before Carson Palmer got hit low and late by Harrison wrecking his knee and ending the bengals hopes.  What happened?  Nothing at all.  The next year Brady gets hurt and the league instantly adds a new low hit rule.

 

- The eligibility stuff is silly if it's based on a team not being able to stop it.  At the time it was used, it was legal...can't blame a team for playing within the rules to win a game.  Again, I hope  Bowles finds a few tricks he can use to legally win a SB.

 

Why was the rule changed?  Because of the Pats, end of story.

 

- Concussion thing in on the league, not the Pats.  Every fan on the planet knows that a player is not going to pull himself out of the SB unless ordered by league physician or similar authority.  These guys (players and coaches) just want to win...especially in the moment.  That was a horrible failure by the league though...he was clearly out of it but apparently nothing in place to fix it on the spot.

 

Once again, no you are wrong.  The league mandated that teams voluntarily remove players that have been clocked and look hurt.  Edelman gets blasted, is very obviously bell rung by anyone watching the game and the pats do not act, with the excuse, we didn't see it.  So now the league has to make a new rule giving that over to officials to pull players.

 

- Football handling is another head scratcher.  Clearly there was something going on but the league will cover it up.  My thing is, how the hell did the league ever get to a point where they thought it would be a good idea to allow a team to handle their own footballs before a game?  Whether it was Brady or Manning or anyone requesting it, the league should've responded with a polite "ummmm...no".

 

A policy that was never looked at to any extent, once again until the pats came along into the picture.  Pretty well all of the rules i listed were greatly influenced or directly because of the Pats.

 

There is no real connection by any other team in the league to the above forced rule changes.

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Ignored this past year when Geno Smith was hit at the knees. BY THE PATRIOTS. Odd, how rules seem to change or get bent out of shape around those guys. 

 

Same is true for all sports...superstars get special treatment.  Doesn't mean it's right but just a fact of life.

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There is no real connection by any other team in the league to the above forced rule changes.

All true, but a lot of those things really have noting to do with the Pats themselves. 

 

- Tuck Rule should have never even existed, the fact that the Pats were the only team to ever benefit from it is horrible.

 

It was quietly removed by Goodell since it had never been used more than a time or two and the only team it ever benefited was the Pats.  Any other team and it probably does not get called in the 1st place.

 

- Spygate will forever loom due to the league destroying tapes w/o allowing owners/fans to see what was on them.  Destroying evidence is never a great way to convince people that there was no competitive advantage.  Worst cheating scandal ever IMO.

 

- Hitting the QB was and still is getting more and more difficult to do.  Of course the league was going to act once Brady got hurt, but again that had nothing to do with the Pats themselves.  Not as if BB can walk in to a meeting and incorporate a rule change.

 

I disagree on the above.  The  year before Carson Palmer got hit low and late by Harrison wrecking his knee and ending the bengals hopes.  What happened?  Nothing at all.  The next year Brady gets hurt and the league instantly adds a new low hit rule.

 

- The eligibility stuff is silly if it's based on a team not being able to stop it.  At the time it was used, it was legal...can't blame a team for playing within the rules to win a game.  Again, I hope  Bowles finds a few tricks he can use to legally win a SB.

 

Why was the rule changed?  Because of the Pats, end of story.

 

- Concussion thing in on the league, not the Pats.  Every fan on the planet knows that a player is not going to pull himself out of the SB unless ordered by league physician or similar authority.  These guys (players and coaches) just want to win...especially in the moment.  That was a horrible failure by the league though...he was clearly out of it but apparently nothing in place to fix it on the spot.

 

Once again, no you are wrong.  The league mandated that teams voluntarily remove players that have been clocked and look hurt.  Edelman gets blasted, is very obviously bell rung by anyone watching the game and the pats do not act, with the excuse, we didn't see it.  So now the league has to make a new rule giving that over to officials to pull players.

 

- Football handling is another head scratcher.  Clearly there was something going on but the league will cover it up.  My thing is, how the hell did the league ever get to a point where they thought it would be a good idea to allow a team to handle their own footballs before a game?  Whether it was Brady or Manning or anyone requesting it, the league should've responded with a polite "ummmm...no".

 

A policy that was never looked at to any extent, once again until the pats came along into the picture.  Pretty well all of the rules i listed were greatly influenced or directly because of the Pats.

 

 

I don't disagree with much of what you're saying, but I fault the league more so than I do the Pats.  If you're going to allow teams to "police themselves" and expect them to do something that they feel will hurt their chances to win then this is what you get. 

 

I'm not sure how I'm wrong on the concussion thing in saying the league was naïve to assume a player or coach will not identify it if it hurts their chances of winning.  Yes, there is something in place.  That something was incredibly silly and proven to be 100% ineffective.  As I said, that's on the league.  When Edelman had to crawl before being able to stand up, somebody from the league should have immediately ordered him out of the game.  Fox guarding the henhouse is always a bad idea.

 

Again, you're correct in that a rule change occurred because of the Pats, but the reason it had to be changed is because it was legal when they did it.  How is it the fault of a head coach for knowing the rule book well enough to run a play that nobody saw coming?  The league may not have liked it, but again, I'm not going to complain about a head coach running a play that is allowed by the league. 

 

Rule change after Brady because he was the face of the NFL.  Special treatment for special players...been that way in every sport since I was a kid.  Sucks...but that's the way it is.  Not just Pats/NFL. 

 

Not here to say the Pats aren't cheaters when presented the opportunity or that they're decent human beings, but the league was beyond stupid to allow teams access to footballs before games. 

 

I'm just happy that the league has handled it as poorly as they have because there is  no way for them to come out of this looking like they didn't try to cover something up.  No timetable on the investigation?  We're talking about letting air out of a football and you'd think it was the OJ trial the way they're dragging their feet.

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There is no real connection by any other team in the league to the above forced rule changes.

 

Correct...and there are a few reasons for that IMO.

 

1) They cheat and sometimes they get caught.

 

2) They do a lot of stuff that isn't cheating but is obscure and other teams get mad so rules get changed.

 

3) The league has gone overboard with protecting marquee QB's, especially THE marquee QB who is the face of the league.  You ever see somebody defend Michael Jordan and not get called for a foul?  I  hate it, but it Happens in all sports.

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I listed these in another thread.

- tuck rule, used once and then never seen again.

- camera filming the other team sidelines crack down.

- Brady low hit QB rule (not instituted until Brady got hurt, ignored when Carson Palmer got hurt)

- New eligibility rules due to pats shenanigans.

- New concussion protocol aka the Edelman rule.

- Soon to be new football handling rules due to deflate gate.

The rules committee has spent half their time over the ;last few years plugging pat loop holes or making new rules due to the pats bending the rules to the breaking point.

Patriots are a slap dick organization. Good team that still cheats to make sure they win
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