Did Patriots bend the rules on ineligible receivers?

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The Patriots and Belicheat have always been about one thing = winning. If you can't beat them straight up, go outside the spirit of the game and find ways to win.

The NFL will initiate rule changes next year to correct this error just like they did in the past when the Patriots pull off a win by skirting the edge.

As a fan of football I am disgusted by the Patriots as I don't find it innovative. I find it of low morale character and Tom Brady is being a true politician.
 
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They broke the rules imo. Cheater took advantage of somewhat ambiguous rule. Now the rules will have to be more clearly stated to prevent bellicheating again. Key word is immediately. Telling the ref just seconds before snap is not immediate enough since the D should get a chance to sub. The ref should have not have allowed the eligible sub without giving the D enough time to sub. Obviously the ref screwed up in a fashion to benefit the Pats. Big fucking surprise. Now the rule will have to be changed to something that spells it out where an eligible change announced to the ref with less than x seconds on the play clock (to allow D subs) will be a delay of game penalty.
 
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How do you have a formation with 4 OLs and an otherwise eligible player reporting as uneligible without subbing in someone?

If the Patriots subbed in someone, Baltimore should have gotten a chance to sub by rule. Absolutely a bad call.
 
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Play was legal gentlemen...However, the Patriots still cheat so I'm in.
 
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Maybe it's legal but the way they employed it was sleazy. They gambled that the refs being unfamiliar with someone sneaking it in at the last second like they did. Many will say "Belicheat is a genius." I say he doesn't have the confidence that his team is better prepared or better players that can win on the field without some kind of edge the other team doesn't possess, or is at least unwilling to sink to. Just like the super bowl they stole from us. We beat them earlier in that season and he said they tried everything and couldn't beat us. So in the super bowl they decided to push the envelope with the refs by mugging and late hitting our receivers and holding Marshal to keep him from releasing as Warner's safety valve. It worked. Then later, the NFL decides to make that an emphasis in penalty calling. Next you will see a new rule against this latest "envelope stretching." I think the whole thing just shows how sleazy that low-life Belicheat is, not that we need reminding.
 
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My feeling is that bellyfat knew how pathetic the refs are and would have no clue what to do. He was right. The refs should have identified the ineligibles so that the defense knew they didn't need to cover those players. Yet another fail by a really inept referee corp. I blame Goodell.
 
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Is it legal, yes. Is it a good show of sportsmanship, no. If Fisher did it and we won a playoff game, would I defend it, yes.

At the end of the day, the only thing I can hang my hat on is that I don't think I'd have done it - me. Bilicheck epitomizes so few things that I value in my life.

But that's also why I'm not a successful football coach.
 
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It was legal. The failure was the Refs.

Example 43809483 why we need FULL TIME REFS to constantly study the rule book and know it inside and out so that coaches don't have to educate the Refs on the rules as happened here. That call cost a score and in a tight game between equally matched opponents which ultimately determined the game.

I'm pretty sure the line would stretch from NY to Cleveland if the NFL held openings for full time Refs at their current salaries... they wouldn't even have to pay MORE... There's just NO EXCUSE for it to not be done.

Other than to have incompetent refereeing which allows for the "fudge" factor and manipulation... so, I guess there's that.
 
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Mackeyser said:
It was legal. The failure was the Refs.

Example 43809483 why we need FULL TIME REFS to constantly study the rule book and know it inside and out so that coaches don't have to educate the Refs on the rules as happened here. That call cost a score and in a tight game between equally matched opponents which ultimately determined the game.

I'm pretty sure the line would stretch from NY to Cleveland if the NFL held openings for full time Refs at their current salaries... they wouldn't even have to pay MORE... There's just NO EXCUSE for it to not be done.

Other than to have incompetent refereeing which allows for the "fudge" factor and manipulation... so, I guess there's that.
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If we can know the rules, then the refs being part time can't be blamed for them not knowing them. It's not like you're memorizing 5000 volumes of arcane lore.
 
I saw the play in question, saw the player declare, saw the referee announce it to the defense. There was nothing outside what was posted by someone else in the rules. Harbaugh and the defense got out coached for one series. He did not educate anyone. They did it by the book from what I saw and read.

Hating a team is one thing but saying they cheated on this series is just sour grapes. The defensive line should have been able to beat 4 linemen, the ineligible receiver didn't even try to block anyone.
 
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blackbart said:
I saw the play in question, saw the player declare, saw the referee announce it to the defense. There was nothing outside what was posted by someone else in the rules. Harbaugh and the defense got out coached for one series. He did not educate anyone. They did it by the book from what I saw and read.

Hating a team is one thing but saying they cheated on this series is just sour grapes. The defensive line should have been able to beat 4 linemen, the ineligible receiver didn't even try to block anyone.
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Except that the Raven's defense was barely given 3-4 seconds to ID the ineligible receiver, after already assigning coverage to that RB. In retrospect, perhaps Harbaugh should have called TO.
 
blackbart said:
Hating a team is one thing but saying they cheated on this series is just sour grapes. The defensive line should have been able to beat 4 linemen, the ineligible receiver didn't even try to block anyone.
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It wasn't a case of beating 4 lineman. It made them play differently in the secondary leaving a man uncovered because they (the defensive players) didn't realize the ineligible man didn't need covering. That tells me they weren't informed properly that he was ineligible.
 
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Guys, c'mon we have Jeff freaking Fisher as our HC who likes to use competitive advantages to his own advantage, that was strategic and smart coaching. Sure as hell beats recording defensive signals, I get they cheated us out of a super bowl but it just seems pathetic to call them cheaters out of something that was not in the rulebook.
 
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NukeRam said:
It wasn't a case of beating 4 lineman. It made them play differently in the secondary leaving a man uncovered because they (the defensive players) didn't realize the ineligible man didn't need covering. That tells me they weren't informed properly that he was ineligible.
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I saw it on the replay the defense was informed that he was ineligible. If the defense was not prepare for that and could have called a TO. They did not. It is not the officials job to make it easier for one team or another.
 
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blackbart said:
I saw it on the replay the defense was informed that he was ineligible. If the defense was not prepare for that and could have called a TO. They did not. It is not the officials job to make it easier for one team or another.
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It is the ref's job to allow the defense to substitute if the offense has done so though.
 
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Ram Quixote said:
So, in essence, the Patriots were playing a shell game as to who was the ineligible receiver, by not informing the refs until just prior to the snap.
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LOL. That's how it is done %100 of the time. Whether you report eligible or ineligible, you do it before the snap, when you walk onto the field. They really didn't do anything wrong.
 
blackbart said:
Yes it is but that is not what happened.
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So did New England just send out only 4 OLs and an extra skill player, then varied whichever skill player reported as ineligible then?

Because otherwise, I don't get how they managed to do this without substituting.
 
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