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We’re only one game into the 2015 NFL season, and there is already no shortage of accusations against the Patriots for being stinky cheaters. Not only did Mike Tomlin all but accuse the Patriots of tampering with the Steeelers’ radio headsets during the first quarter of Thursday’s opener in New England, now Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is accusing the Pats of intentionally bending the rules in their favor.
With the Steelers down 21-11 and just a few yards away from an offensive touchdown, the Patriots may or may not have intentionally baited the Pittsburgh offense into a false start on a crucial third down on the goal line. As the Steelers lined up and prepared to snap the ball, the Patriots defensive line executed a synchronized shift that caused several of Pittsburgh’s offensive linemen to jump. The offense was called for a false start and pushed back five yards, and the Steelers would ultimately settle for a field goal. The game ended 28-21.
On the field, Roethlisberger was visibly upset that the Patriots were able to get away with what he thought was intentionally drawing the offense into a false start, making an animated argument to the officials. After the game, he explained why he was so angry.
“I thought that there was a rule against that,” Roethlisberger said. “Maybe there’s not. Maybe it’s just an unwritten rule. . . . We saw it on film, that the Patriots do that. They shift and slide and do stuff on the goal line, knowing that it’s an itchy trigger finger-type down there.”
The Patriots never penetrated the neutral zone on the play, which makes their shift legal regardless of the “unwritten rule” Roethlisberger hinted at. One of Pittsburgh’s offensive linemen who jumped on the sequence seemed to give the Patriots some credit for the tactics.
“They time it up in the cadence,” Steelers left guard Ramon Foster said. “Yeah, that’s one of the things they do. Welcome to Foxborough. . . .
“I think it’s more heightened because it’s [the Patriots] and it looks like – whatever the case may be. They’re a team that likes to take advantage of those type of situations, and we can’t give that to them.”
It seems as though everybody would like nothing more than to catch the Patriots in another cheating scandal, but this sort of feels like sour grapes from Roethlisberger. Football is a sport that so heavily relies on the art of deception, and sometimes you’re better off just admitting you were tricked within the rules.
(Via Pro Football Talk)
