NFL Rules Patriots Formations Were Legal

[BigKen]

Maybe John Harbaugh should learn the rule book.

Following Baltimore's 35-31 playoff loss to the Patriots on Saturday, the Ravens coach accused New England of using an "illegal type" of formation during the third quarter. It turns the formations weren't illegal at all.

In an email to the Baltimore Sun on Sunday, NFL vice president of football communications Michael Signora said everything the Patriots did was within the rule book.

"Everything was legal from a formation and reporting standpoint," Signora wrote.

Harbaugh had said that one of his problems was that his defense wasn't given enough time to figure out who the eligible and ineligible players were after New England's players reported into the game.
"We wanted an opportunity to be able to identify who the eligible players were," Harbaugh said. "Because what they were doing was they would announce the eligible player and Tom (Brady) would take it to the line right away and snap the ball before (we) even figured out who was lined up where. And that was the deception part of it. It was clearly deception."

 

[BigKen]

My question is this....What did Harbaugh want the officials to do? Call an official timeout so the Ravens could discuss the Patriots formation and two or three minutes of commercials so they could then design a defense?? It wasn't deception, it was good coaching taking advantage of thr rules and totally screwing with the opponent's head.

 

[Sgthall999]

Brady said they got something for next week too lol.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

Brady said they got something for next week too lol.

Video of the colts play calls

 

[Sgthall999]

Video of the colts play calls

Cute! Now take your trolling to the general board.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

Not trolling the pats have a way with working around the rules for their benefit. Harbaugh has a legitimate gripe. And people are entitled opinions the pats track record influences those opinions. Rule book or not their strategy was still dirty. Brady making light of it is a poor act of sportsmanship he hasn't won in years and with his success he had has he should know the meaning of professional and humble. No need to get mad over truths

 

[Sgthall999]

Well the VP of the league said it was within the rules. So whatever punishment you expect to happen won't happen. So unless you're a Colts fan discussing the AFC title game, take that conspiracy theory of yours to the general board.

 

[TP76]

Not trolling the pats have a way with working around the rules for their benefit. Harbaugh has a legitimate gripe. And people are entitled opinions the pats track record influences those opinions. Rule book or not their strategy was still dirty. Brady making light of it is a poor act of sportsmanship he hasn't won in years and with his success he had has he should know the meaning of professional and humble. No need to get mad over truths

Harbaugh has no gripe whatsoever. Actually the Patriots have the gripe. Not only did the ref announce #34 was ineligible, they also told the Raven's defenders not to cover him. Frankly, that was way beyond the scope of officiating and entering into participation.

When an Offensive Tackle reports as eligible, do refs tell the defense to cover that guy?

Hope it's the last postseason game for these schmucks. They were awful.

 

[TheRobotDevil]

Well the VP of the league said it was within the rules. So whatever punishment you expect to happen won't happen. So unless you're a Colts fan discussing the AFC title game, take that conspiracy theory of yours to the general board.

I have no problem going to the general board sorry I hurt your feelings with my opinion

 

[TxHeat]

Video of the colts play calls

now now Clark..don't you be trolling over here. you can do that shit over at the day shitters thread.

 

[BigKen]

Not trolling the pats have a way with working around the rules for their benefit. Harbaugh has a legitimate gripe. And people are entitled opinions the pats track record influences those opinions. Rule book or not their strategy was still dirty. Brady making light of it is a poor act of sportsmanship he hasn't won in years and with his success he had has he should know the meaning of professional and humble. No need to get mad over truths

Explain please...what is Harbaugh's legitimate gripe? Anything within the NFL Rule Book can be used in a game.

The NFL league office and VP of the rules and interpretation publicly announced that the Patriots in no way violated the rule or the intent of the rule. The formations used were 100% legal and appropriate. The reporting of the ineligible players was correct and proper. He went on to say that the officials may have actually been overly zealous in announcing and identifying the players to the defense and were not required to tell the defense "do not cover number 34".

Again, please explain Harbaugh's LEGITAMATE gripe.

 

[TxHeat]

This crying has to do with one thing and one thing only..who did it. Period.

 

[{+}Mother-Marge{+}]

now now Clark..don't you be trolling over here. you can do that shit over at the day shitters thread.

? = is Clarke Griswald one of hammered's "henchmen"....?!

 

[BigKen]

Since the Patriots used the formation 3 or 4 times, Harbaugh should have told his DC, "If they use that formation again, rush 7". If he had, the Pats would have been doomed.

 

[Sgthall999]

? = is Clarke Griswald one of hammered's "henchmen"....?!

Maybe? Or he's upset because Boston College crushed USC's dreams in October. Touchdown Tyler Murphy!!!

 

[fordman84]

The only problem I could see is if NE was making substitutions and the refs weren't holding the play for BWI to counter those.

I haven't watched the plays in question, so if that were happening then shame on the refs but that isn't NE's fault. If that isn't what he is complaining about, then Harbaugh needs to shut it and have defensive packages for all possibilities not not just the "likely" ones.

 

[Midnightangel]

So the coach that has his Oline cut block on every play is upset that someone exploited the rules?

Good. I hope it stings.

 

[sharkymcwrath]

So the coach that has his Oline cut block on every play is upset that someone exploited the rules?

Good. I hope it stings.

Wow, you're actually not bashing the Pats and calling them cheaters. My guess is if it were any other team other than the ravens your perspective would be a bit different.

 

[SDGuy73]

Video of the colts play calls

LOL. Good one.

 

[BigKen]

Sour Grapes...........A year and half later Harbaugh is still pissed at Brady.

Posted August 15, 2016 at 7:00 am
By: Ian Logue

One of the biggest moments of the 2014/15 AFC Divisional round win by the Patriots came thanks to their decision to exploit the NFL rule surrounding the use of formations involving eligible and ineligible receivers.

In that game, the Patriots lined up then-running back Shane Vereen wide but declared him ineligible, which the referees in that game conveyed to the Ravens and told them not to cover him.

But at the time, Harbaugh didn’t understand what was going on and even went so far as to come out on the field and draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that helped turn the momentum back over to the Patriots, who came back and won the game 35-31 to advance to the AFC Championship and ultimately won the Super Bowl.

After that game, Harbaugh complained about the move by the Patriots and said the league needed to review it.

“Yeah, it’s a substitution type of a trick type of a thing,” said Harbaugh when asked about it by the Baltimore media after the loss. “So they don’t give you the opportunity, they don’t give you the chance to make the proper substitutions and things like that. It’s not something that anybody’s ever done before. The league will look at that type of thing and I’m sure that they’ll make some adjustments and things like that.”

When asked if he considered it “cheap or dirty”, Harbaugh replied, “I’m not going to comment on that.”

Brady and the Patriots outsmarted Baltimore in their playoff win in 2015. (USA TODAY Images)
When asked about Harbaugh’s reaction after the game, Brady replied, “Maybe those guys gotta study the rule book and figure it out. We obviously knew what we were doing and we made some pretty important plays.”

That apparently didn’t sit well with Harbaugh, who, as pointed out by Mike Reiss in his Sunday notes, told ESPN’s Ian O’Connor in a feature piece on ESPN.com that he didn’t appreciate Brady’s comments.

“I was pissed off,” said Harbaugh in the piece. “It was uncalled for. And the rules are deeper than that, and I know the rules, and I stand by why that play shouldn’t have been allowed. … So yeah, that should never have been said.”

Harbaugh ultimately prevented himself from being fooled again as thanks to his efforts, the league ended up changing the rule to prevent it moving forward that offseason.

But for someone who claims to know the rules so well, that didn’t stop him from breaking them this past offseason. Harbaugh put rookies in full pads in minicamp thanks to another misinterpretation, this time with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and that brilliant move cost Harbaugh $137,223, and the Ravens $343,057 in fines, totaling nearly $500,000. It also cost them three forfeited organized team activities.

“There are things that you look at and you say, ‘I think we have an opportunity to gain some ground with our rookies,’” Harbaugh said when asked about it after it happened. “It wasn’t the case. It was wrong. I read it the wrong way. The bottom line: It’s on me.”

And so was what happened in January of 2015.

He seems to have a tough time understanding and interpreting rules. Fortunately that isn’t a problem for Belichick or Brady, and given the trouble the Patriots have given him over the years, that’s probably what upsets Harbaugh the most.

- See more at: Harbaugh Was "Pissed Off" About Brady Comment in 2015 - PatsFans.com