XDVincent, you cannot expect to persuade people by putting words in the mouth of every single person you appear to disagree with. It wasn't "cheating," it wasn't a "tackle eligible" play. To use dok's word, it was an "exploit." Here is a brief discussion off an ESPN blog, which I think is a fair summary, and nothing John Harbaugh said contradicts it:
Quote:
One of the primary jobs of the NFL competition committee is to ensure that league rules can't be manipulated to one team's advantage. The NFL rulebook is the most complicated in sports in part due to exceptions and caveats that have been inserted in reaction to similar instances. I'm sure the committee will review the Patriots' strategy, but from this perspective, it seems the most we can expect is a reinforcement that referees must give defenses appropriate time to adjust to substitutions.
The Patriots' reputation as NFL rule-pushers, punctuated by their 2007 discipline for videotaping opponents illegally, surely has played a role in Sunday's swelling emotions. In the end, however, there isn't much to dispute here. Their scheme was legal and sound. Vinovich handled it as well as could have been expected. A creative innovation caught the Ravens by surprise, and they didn't adjust in time. So it goes.
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Here is why Harbaugh was upset during the game, and this is also why (as I observed earlier here, or maybe it was somewhere else) that officials will stand over the ball to stop the snap so defenses can adjust to pre-snap shenanigans:
Quote:
After the second such instance, Harbaugh ran onto the field and took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, he said later, so that he could implore Vinovich to provide the Ravens more time to adjust to the unconventional ineligible receiver. Harbaugh appeared to be referencing Rule 5, Section 2, Article 10, which begins:
"If a substitution is made by the offense, the offense shall not be permitted to snap the ball until the defense has been permitted to respond with its substitutions. While in the process of a substitution [or simulated substitution], the offense is prohibited from rushing quickly to the line of scrimmage and snapping the ball in an obvious attempt to cause a defensive foul [i.e., too many men on the field]."
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LINK
Nobody said cheating. Abusing the rules, deceiving, yes. Not cheating. Nobody here is whining; neither was Harbaugh. It's just worth noting that the rules in this area can be exploited, and it has to be addressed. I expect it will be.
I got nothing against fans of the Patriots, one of them is my brother and I love him. But if you're going to be one, don't kid yourself: they push the rules envelope. They find weaknesses in the rules and exploit them. I'm not judging, it's what they do, and it's institutional in Foxborough. They are the divining rod for weaknesses in the rules, because they'll find them and exploit them.
Finally, on the subject of Brady's response, he wasn't "defending himself," because nobody was attacking him. The opposing coach pointed out that something the Patriots had done was unheard of and was a deceptive surprise. All true!
That's the whole point of running the play! So mocking him by saying he should read the rulebook is unnecessarily mean.
Go ahead and root for your favorite team, but don't blind yourself to what's happening out there.