While New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady have been doing their best to deny their way out of the Deflategate scandal, another cheating scandal has surfaced. The touchdown scored by Patriots’ tackle Nate Solder in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts should have been flagged for an illegal substitution.
Nate Solder AFC Championship Touchdown Illegal
According to NFL’s head of officiating Dean Blandino, the Patriots use of ineligible and eligible receivers was illegal on the Solder touchdown play. The third quarter touchdown should have been called back and the Patriots penalized five yards.
As reported by Josh Alper of Profootballtalk, Blandino said, “[t]here was an issue on that play where on the previous play, [Cameron] Fleming had reported as an eligible player and on the Solder touchdown he [Fleming] went back to playing an ineligible position. That’s illegal. That’s an illegal substitution. So that’s something we discussed with the crew. Bill [Belichick] was made aware of it. So we’re going to be looking for that, make sure we follow the proper mechanics so that doesn’t happen again.”
NFL Rules on Eligible and Ineligible Receivers
NFL rules state that a player like Fleming with a uniform number between 50-79 or 90-99 can only switch from eligible to ineligible if he sits out for one play or if there is a stoppage in the game. The rule also applies to typically “eligible” players like running backs, tight ends and receivers who report as ineligible for one play.
Fleming had reported as an eligible receiver on the play before the Solder touchdown. Fleming lined up on the right end of the Patriots offensive line. Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski was eligible on that same play on the left end of the line. Solder was ineligible as he lined up inside next to Gronkowski.
On the Solder touchdown play, Gronkowski switched to the right side of the line outside of Fleming. This made Fleming ineligible. Solder reported as eligible since he was now the outside player on the left side of the line. However, Fleming should have exited the game.
Former quarterback Jim Miller of Sirius XM NFL Radio correctly noticed that the touchdown was illegal when he discussed it last week. Since the game against the Colts was not close, this illegal play fell to the wayside in light of the emerging Deflategate scandal.
However, the Solder touchdown was devastating to any chance the Colts had at getting back in the game. Solder’s touchdown was the first score of the second half. The Patriots had been up 21-3, which was a difficult, but not insurmountable lead. After the Solder touchdown, the 28-3 lead was too much for the Colts.
Unorthodox Formations in Patriots Ravens Game
Belichick’s use of offensive linemen as eligible receivers has been questioned since at least the Patriot’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens game was much closer and, at one point, the Patriots were two touchdowns behind the Ravens. The Patriots used the reverse of the eligible receiver rule by declaring running back Shane Vereen as an ineligible receiver on several plays and had offensive lineman report as eligible.
Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh was incensed that the officials were not giving his team a chance to figure out where the eligible and ineligible Patriots’ players were lining up. Harbaugh didn’t think that the referees even understood what was happening on the field and had to take an unsportsmanlike penalty to stop the game and point it out to the officials. At the time, the Ravens were up 28-14 against the Patriots who scored a crucial touchdown on this drive with these unorthodox formations.
Harbaugh stopped short of calling the Patriots formations illegal, but certainly he felt that they were questionable at best. Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady went so far as to taunt and lecture Harbaugh and the Ravens stating, “Maybe those guys gotta study the rule book and figure it out. We obviously made some pretty important plays. It was a real good weapon for us. Maybe we’ll have something in store next week.”
Obviously, Brady was correct. They had something “in store” for the Colts – a backbreaking illegal play. The referees always seem to be one step behind the Patriots schemes, so it is up to the opposing coaches to educate the referees. Seattle Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll has already indicated that he is not worried about being caught off guard by the Patriots’ unorthodox formations in the Super Bowl and has already spoken with NFL officials.
Patriots Are Habitual Line-Steppers
As Baltimore Ravens defensive end Chris Canty said, the “Patriots are habitual line-steppers.” The question will be what new scandal will the Patriots cause from stepping close to or, as we have often seen, over the line in the Super Bowl?
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