NFL views Eagles’ possible illegal formation as a judgment call

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 4, 2018, 11:25 PM EST
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Were the Eagles lined up in an illegal formation when Nick Foles caught a touchdown pass on a fourth-and-goal trick play? Not according to the NFL.

A league source tells PFT that the league views it as a judgment call, not a call that was clearly right or clearly wrong.

The question is whether the wide receiver was on the line of scrimmage, in which case the formation was legal, or behind the line of scrimmage, in which case the Eagles only had six players on the line and were in an illegal formation.

The official thought the wide receiver was lined up close enough on the line to be covering the right tackle, and as a result the league doesn’t believe the Eagles got the benefit of a bad call.

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44 responses to “NFL views Eagles’ possible illegal formation as a judgment call”

  3. Yes they did but that wasn’t the only play that they missed. PI on Gronk and Hogan on the hail mary. Hogan got tackled at the 20 yd line. Move on people.

  6. People like to act as the Pats are the golden child of the nfl and can do no wrong. This dispels that notion. Pats played lights out and were the far superior team but the best team doesn’t always win. We will be back next year on our quest for ring # 6.

    #6ringsdeep #GOAT

  7. touchdowns are also judgement calls. two bobbles on the way out of bounds is a td. a catch reach fumble recovery is a td, but a catch hand switch 3 steps lunge at pylon and recovery is not. the nfl is so legit and consistent.

  8. He signaled to the ref he was lining up on the line. Ref doesn’t say to move up. The center’s hip is behind the 2. WR’s head is in front of the 3. Ref judged he was on the line from his view. What’s the problem?

  10. patriots6ringsdeep says:
    Pats played lights out and were the far superior team
    ————

    Yet only briefly led, late in the game and their D made Foles look like Tom Brady and Joe Montana combined. Doesn’t sound like playing lights out or “far superior.”

  11. Maybe someone should ask the Patriots about it. They know all about illegal formations…#Karma

  12. Lions are regretting this already. Matty P is more overrated than both the Ryan brothers combined.

  15. Who commented above and said there was PI on a hail Mary pass?!?!?! You must be joking right??

  18. To me, Ertz’s TD clearly should have been upheld. He established himself as a runner. Clement’s TD should have been ruled an incompletion live. The standard for replay is that it is only supposed to be used to correct a “clear and obvious” error and that isn’t by breaking it down frame-by-frame in slow motion. The “clear and obvious” threshold wasn’t met.

    The problem is that Riveron was completely ignoring the “clear and obvious” standard for the great bulk of the season and then with a couple of games left in the regular season he changed gears and started ahdering to it. I don’t think that’s necessarily fair but in this case someone was going to get screwed. Patriots because it should have been ruled incomplete live, Eagles if it was overturned because it wasn’t clear and obvious.

  21. I’d say the officiating caught up with the serial cheaters, but once again they were only flagged once. ONCE! If the Patsies are flagged for offensive holding in the playoffs, it’ll be the first time ever. The Eagles did what most can’t. Beat two teams tonight.

  22. Well played competitive game setting the record for most yards 1,151 in a game in the entire history of the NFL. Great game. Congrats Nick Foles and the Eagles and Nick Foles high school. Now Nick Foles high school has too Super Bowl winning QBs. Drew Brees preceded Nick by 10 years.

  23. As a Pats fan, I believe the refs let them play. Eagles deserved the win because they stopped the Patriots in the last five minutes but the Pats did not stop them. The key to win was Philly converting on third and fourth down at a very efficient level. They moved the chains when it was absolutely necessary.

  25. Pats to a man brought no excuses. The play was made, called good, move on. Players injured, move on. Just didn’t have enough. It was a great game. Patriots beat the Best Show on Turf back in the day as huge dogs, they should remember how fun it was to beat the kings. Eagles fans should enjoy their day. Grats.

  26. A judgment call means the officials blew it and didn’t call it. The NFL doesn’t want it to be an issue.

    But really, the Patriots blew the coverage. Now the Eagles will have a play that they always show and it will be an illegal formation, I find that more amusing.

  27. Pats fans whining about the refs again. Maybe they need to go study the rule book and figure it out! Hahaha!

  28. takeyourpunishmentandquitwhininglikeababy says:
    February 5, 2018 at 6:45 am
    Pats fans whining about the refs again. Maybe they need to go study the rule book and figure it out! Hahaha!
    _______________________________________________

    Funny I don’t recall Pats fans whining about the refs at all this season, so “again” makes no sense. I do recall other teams whining about the Pats getting all the calls this season though, so I guess this proves them wrong again.

  30. Patriots fan here and at first I thought this was illegal formation as well. I was pissed off, but the rule states the players helmet in the NFL has to be in line with the snappers belt line and not the ball. It looks like Alshon’s helmet is in line with the center’s belt line. Chatham along with other Patriots fans need to do some research before complaining and making all of us look like a bunch of weak clowns. Patriots defense let up too many points and a 7 minute drive in crunch time ending in a TD. Richards is smart and played his heart out, but isn’t good enough. Pats Nation we are still on an incredible run and Eagles deserved this one.

  31. patriots6ringsdeep says:
    February 4, 2018 at 11:35 pm
    People like to act as the Pats are the golden child of the nfl and can do no wrong. This dispels that notion. Pats played lights out and were the far superior team but the best team doesn’t always win. We will be back next year on our quest for ring # 6.

    =========================================================================

    On one hand you admit the Pats made some mistakes & then venture into the usual Pats fanboy territory of pronouncing them superior to Eagles? I believe the happenstance of possibly losing to a backup QB never occurred to Pats fans, and as a result are grasping to find any coherent reason as to why this happened.

  34. If the refs would call PI on a last-second Hail Mary pass, then every time one of those is thrown in any game, you could call PI. All of the defenders and all of the receivers are converging, going after the ball. They can’t avoid contact in that situation.

  35. steves11 says:
    February 5, 2018 at 11:25 am
    If the refs would call PI on a last-second Hail Mary pass, then every time one of those is thrown in any game, you could call PI. All of the defenders and all of the receivers are converging, going after the ball. They can’t avoid contact in that situation.

    ——————–
    I don’t think they were referencing the scrum in the endzone, it’s more the Patriots receiver being tackled at around the 20 yard line before the ball even is close to being in the endzone. if you watch the reply of the hailmail when Gronk is still a few yards out of the endzone you will see the Patriots receiver being taken out about 15 yards behind the play.

  37. For all the talk about the Pats getting all the calls, it seems like there were a lot of “judgment” calls made last night..

  38. newlydead says:
    February 5, 2018 at 11:56 am
    steves11 says:
    February 5, 2018 at 11:25 am
    If the refs would call PI on a last-second Hail Mary pass, then every time one of those is thrown in any game, you could call PI. All of the defenders and all of the receivers are converging, going after the ball. They can’t avoid contact in that situation.
    ——————–
    I don’t think they were referencing the scrum in the endzone, it’s more the Patriots receiver being tackled at around the 20 yard line before the ball even is close to being in the endzone. if you watch the reply of the hailmail when Gronk is still a few yards out of the endzone you will see the Patriots receiver being taken out about 15 yards behind the play.

    ——————————————————————–

    That’s why there were 4 Eagles hanging on Gronk….they didn’t have to cover Hogan…because Hogan was already tackled while running his route….If one or 2 of those Eagles had to cover Hogan…then Gronk catches the hail mary pass….it was right to him.

  39. I don’t think they were referencing the scrum in the endzone, it’s more the Patriots receiver being tackled at around the 20 yard line before the ball even is close to being in the endzone. if you watch the reply of the hailmail when Gronk is still a few yards out of the endzone you will see the Patriots receiver being taken out about 15 yards behind the play.

    *********************
    Check the video 3 seconds after the guy gets taken out Gronk pushes off on a defender by slamming his arm into won like a club
    cmon man!!!!

  40. newlydead says:
    February 5, 2018 at 11:56 am

    I don’t think they were referencing the scrum in the endzone, it’s more the Patriots receiver being tackled at around the 20 yard line before the ball even is close to being in the endzone. if you watch the reply of the hailmail when Gronk is still a few yards out of the endzone you will see the Patriots receiver being taken out about 15 yards behind the play.

    ——————–

    Then Im sure you also noted Gronkowski 2 seconds later using his arm as a club to push away from coverage.

  41. Officials manipulate games depending on who the league/Vegas wants to win. Just look at that AFC Championship game and all the calls that went the Patriots way..

    The super bowl was completely opposite.

    I smell another Patriot super bowl win this year or next and then Brady/Belichick retire!

  42. Like many, I’ve seen this play from different angles. WR appears to be intersecting the RT, which puts him on the line. I’ve seen games where the lineman appear to be in a V formation, i.e. nobody on the line except the center.

  43. @p6one6 says:

    A judgment call means the officials blew it and didn’t call it. The NFL doesn’t want it to be an issue. But really, the Patriots blew the coverage. Now the Eagles will have a play that they always show and it will be an illegal formation, I find that more amusing.
    ==============================================================================================
    What’s more amusing to me is that you don’t understand the meaning of “judgment call”.

  44. LOL pats fans complaining about the hailmary pass? They never call PI on that. Though lets forget the PI the Pats did before the “philly special and the two point conversion”

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