[h=2]John Harbaugh gets penalized for the thing Dez Bryant didn't[/h]
Some people are allowed to walk onto the field to yell at the refs and some aren't.
Not saying Harbaugh shouldn't be penalized for walking onto the field -- just pointing out the inconsistency. Both probably should've been penalties, and sorry for the salt in the wound, Lions fans.
Some people are allowed to walk onto the field to yell at the refs and some aren't.
Not saying Harbaugh shouldn't be penalized for walking onto the field -- just pointing out the inconsistency. Both probably should've been penalties, and sorry for the salt in the wound, Lions fans.
news flash: NFL games are controlled by referees, and by that I mean rigged, sort of.
anyway observations on this game from me, my only bet this weekend was Pats ML/SEA ML parlay which I bet big on. So this game ended up a sweat and below is the reason why basically:
in a surprise, John Harbaugh and his staff thoroughly dominated the Patriots staff and Belichick. 90% of the game Belichick and company had NO CLUE what Ravens were doing on offense, credit is due to Kubiak as well - whom I want in Oakland if we can get him as HC. It was mind boggling how the Patriots were unprepared for this game, it took them 3 quarters to figure it out. Forsett, whom sucked for over a month gashed the Pats run D (who were ranked 1st against the run from week 9 onward giving up 3.1 YPC in that time -totally stout rush D), not because he did anything special, but because every time they called a run the Pats had the wrong D set up. Forsett had big holes and aslong as you have two feet and legs you'll get yardage. So he got that, and that helped Ravens immensely, as well as some godly throws like the Flacco TD before half to OD which was in quadruple coverage.
So the huge advantage BAL had in the coaching department was a surprise, I thought coaching would be even, and the team with the better players would win (Patriots) but this nearly wasn't the case. As well there was some horrific officiating out there:
before half time after the Brady pick, a terrible PI call on revis, not sure what that call was? Revis didn't even lay a finger on Smith just running with him down the sideline on a 40 yard pass, pass incomplete after SS tried to push off (very clearly). Somehow official called Revis for PI, Revis was irrate, clearly and pointed to the replay referee obviously didn't care saw this as a chance for Ravens to get 7 before half, raising the TV ratings for the NFL and getting millions for vegas as 53% picked Patriots -7 or so, so just having Ravens cover, even if NE wins (for future ratings and more money) would win millions for vegas. well that BS flag gifted 7 to NE.
later on, to open 2nd half, Gronk bear hugged no call, would've led to points for NE, instead punt. And the last horrible, no-call was pretty much the worst grounding miss call I've ever seen in my life. 3rd and 4 for Ravens, flacco under severe heat knows he'll be sacked and the game will be over, flips the ball to no one, no one anywhere near it, in the pocket, a 3 yard forward pass (which they called a forward pass) yet not called grounding? What? How can you possibly miss that? Multiple officials who are trained I would like to believe, and get paid to enforce the rules. Only explanation is a fix, build up the climax more.
anyways key takeaway from that game was Ravens coaching staff is amazing, and owned Patriots minus the last quarter from a coaching standpoint really. A couple nice play calls drawn up though from the Pats of course the edelman pass and vereen reporting as ineligible. but no surprises otherwise, Flacco was sharp predictably, just Ravens coaches and referees were a surprise.
[h=2]League will review whether Ravens got proper notice of ineligible player[/h]
It’s common for players with numbers that make them ineligible to report as eligible and then go down the field and become targets for passes. It’s less common for players with eligible numbers to report to officials as ineligible and then refrain from going down the field of play.
On Saturday night, the Patriots took advantage of the “B” side of the rule that made former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel a periodic tight end. Per a league source, the NFL will now explore whether the officiating crew gave the Ravens proper notice that an eligible Patriots player would be ineligible for a given play.
Running back Shane Vereen, wearing the eligible number 34, lined up split wide from the nearest offensive lineman, but because Vereen was “covered up” by another eligible receiver (i.e., an eligible receiver lined up on the line of scrimmage between Vereen and the sideline), it remained a legal formation. Vereen was, in essence, an offensive tackle with a very wide split from next lineman.
On the other side of the line, tight end Michael Hoomanawanui was on the line of scrimmage tight to the next offensive lineman. But Hoomanawanui remained an eligible receiver with an eligible number.
Vereen was required to report as an ineligible receiver, and he did. Hoomanawanui was not required to do anything.
The confusion apparently came from the configuration of the offensive line and the presence of a slot receiver (lined up behind the line of scrimmage) between Vereen and the next offensive lineman. Although Vereen technically was the right tackle in a five-man offensive line, the center shifted one spot to the right, putting a pair of guards between the center and Vereen. Which created the impression that Vereen was eligible. To the left of the center, there was a guard (who was actually the left tackle) and Hoomanawanui, who appeared to be the left tackle but was actually an eligible tight end.
The Ravens would have (or should have) known that an eligible receiver had reported as ineligible, but the alignment of players suggested that Hoomanawanui and not Vereen was the ineligible receiver.
The Patriots furthered the ruse by having Vereen behave like a potential receiver. At the snap, he back off the line and raised his hands for a screen pass. On the other side of the line, Hoomanawanui took off for a pass from what appeared to be the left tackle position.
Is it deceptive, as Ravens coach John Harbaugh alleged? Sure it is. But so is a play-action pass, a draw play, a flea flicker, a statue of liberty, a lateral pass to a receiver who throws the ball to another receiver, the zone blitz, the fake blitz, the delayed blitz, every pre-snap look aimed at making the opponent think the play is something other than what it will be, a fake punt, a fake field goals, a surprise onside kick from conventional kick formation, and a punt returner pretending the ball is coming to him when it’s actually going to a guy left alone on the other side of the field.
The Vereen-ineligible play is legal, as long as the otherwise eligible player reports as ineligible. Which Vereen did. The question then becomes whether the referee properly informed the Ravens about Vereen’s ineligibility. Which the league will explore.
Even if the referee did what he was supposed to do, the formation and the execution suggested that the referee may have gotten the number wrong, saying 34 when he meant to say 47. Which further underscores the brilliance of the play.
Maybe Rodney Harrison was right. Maybe Bill Belichick really is the greatest coach of all time. After all, Belichick managed to confuse and confound a guy who is destined to end up pretty high on the list of best coaches ever.
It’s common for players with numbers that make them ineligible to report as eligible and then go down the field and become targets for passes. It’s less common for players with eligible numbers to report to officials as ineligible and then refrain from going down the field of play.
On Saturday night, the Patriots took advantage of the “B” side of the rule that made former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel a periodic tight end. Per a league source, the NFL will now explore whether the officiating crew gave the Ravens proper notice that an eligible Patriots player would be ineligible for a given play.
Running back Shane Vereen, wearing the eligible number 34, lined up split wide from the nearest offensive lineman, but because Vereen was “covered up” by another eligible receiver (i.e., an eligible receiver lined up on the line of scrimmage between Vereen and the sideline), it remained a legal formation. Vereen was, in essence, an offensive tackle with a very wide split from next lineman.
On the other side of the line, tight end Michael Hoomanawanui was on the line of scrimmage tight to the next offensive lineman. But Hoomanawanui remained an eligible receiver with an eligible number.
Vereen was required to report as an ineligible receiver, and he did. Hoomanawanui was not required to do anything.
The confusion apparently came from the configuration of the offensive line and the presence of a slot receiver (lined up behind the line of scrimmage) between Vereen and the next offensive lineman. Although Vereen technically was the right tackle in a five-man offensive line, the center shifted one spot to the right, putting a pair of guards between the center and Vereen. Which created the impression that Vereen was eligible. To the left of the center, there was a guard (who was actually the left tackle) and Hoomanawanui, who appeared to be the left tackle but was actually an eligible tight end.
The Ravens would have (or should have) known that an eligible receiver had reported as ineligible, but the alignment of players suggested that Hoomanawanui and not Vereen was the ineligible receiver.
The Patriots furthered the ruse by having Vereen behave like a potential receiver. At the snap, he back off the line and raised his hands for a screen pass. On the other side of the line, Hoomanawanui took off for a pass from what appeared to be the left tackle position.
Is it deceptive, as Ravens coach John Harbaugh alleged? Sure it is. But so is a play-action pass, a draw play, a flea flicker, a statue of liberty, a lateral pass to a receiver who throws the ball to another receiver, the zone blitz, the fake blitz, the delayed blitz, every pre-snap look aimed at making the opponent think the play is something other than what it will be, a fake punt, a fake field goals, a surprise onside kick from conventional kick formation, and a punt returner pretending the ball is coming to him when it’s actually going to a guy left alone on the other side of the field.
The Vereen-ineligible play is legal, as long as the otherwise eligible player reports as ineligible. Which Vereen did. The question then becomes whether the referee properly informed the Ravens about Vereen’s ineligibility. Which the league will explore.
Even if the referee did what he was supposed to do, the formation and the execution suggested that the referee may have gotten the number wrong, saying 34 when he meant to say 47. Which further underscores the brilliance of the play.
Maybe Rodney Harrison was right. Maybe Bill Belichick really is the greatest coach of all time. After all, Belichick managed to confuse and confound a guy who is destined to end up pretty high on the list of best coaches ever.
