Seems like the refs messed up there to me. They are supposed to inform the defense who is ineligible but they allowed the Patriots to snap the ball without informing the Ravens.
Not true. The referee could clearly be heard on the first instance telling the defense that number 34 was ineligible.
This read option thing, should be illegal too because I saw the QB was going to handle to the ball to the RB, but he keep it and ran the other side, they clearly deceptived the defense, because the RB should've ran with the ball, the QB should only pass it, they cant run because thats deceptive for the defense, and its not fair.
That's because Harbaugh just got thoroughly out-smarted/out-witted/out-coached by the GOAT, and his ego couldn't fathom it. At least he admitted that he'd never heard or seen it done before... as old as this game is, it still amazes me that they're able to find little nuances here and there to exploit/innovate.
Just saying, its very hard to do what he has done in the modern-day NFL.... his run of success is unprecedented. He would have likely coached circles around the guys in the 60's/70's... his success is a product of innovation, adjustments, and exploiting every aspect of the game in order to achieve success.
Even in today's games, I noticed tons of plays where receivers would act like they were going to run one way, but then without notice would quickly change direction & run the opposite way.
I often wonder why teams don't do this sort of thing more often. If it's legal to throw to an O-lineman as long as you declare him eligible, it seems like a can't-miss goal-line play. Even if you use him as a decoy, just giving the defense one more thing to think about seems like good strategery.
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Quite a few teams routinely make o-lineman eligible on a vast number of goal-line plays, and have been doing it for years. It often gets ignored if you're watching it on TV because the announcers talk over the ref's PA announcement that sometimes occurs pretty close to the snap. What Belichick did was the exact opposite of making an O-lineman eligible... he was making a receiver/RB/TE in-eligible (and being confused, the Ravens kept putting a CB/LB on that player).
Not far fetched at all. The consistency and long term success in an era of free agency is simply amazing. He is probably the best ever.
Was going to say the exact same thing. They do it all the time, even though they frequently have no intention on throwing it to the offensive lineman.
Sure... and they do make offensive line guys eligible all the time and have been doing it for years. Will be curious to see how teams try to emulate this new wrinkle... and I bet some mediocre teams are going to F it up pretty badly.
Harbaugh's main complaint was that the refs didn't give his team time to make a defensive substitution to counter the offensive substitution. On all occasions the referee did announce the inclusion of the "ineligible" receiver as they normally do - mainly when an ineligible guy reports as eligible.
"bush league tactics"? This has got to be one of THE lamest comments I've ever read on here. FYI, EVERYTHING in the NFL is about deception. Formations, play action, blitzing, etc etc etc.
Not sure who else Harbaugh would have put in.... technically, his defense would be at an advantage as he could just leave that ineligible guy alone and double/triple Gronk... or he could force that ineligible guy to try and block a bigger LB on a blitz (depending on what package they had of either a nickel corner or more LB's). Its also why the Pats smartly chose not to keep running it as it would have been easily defended once the opposing team figured it out. The main issue Harbaugh really had was that his defense wasn't prepared to adjust to it and still was covering those guys as if they were eligible.
