Tampa Bay Was Penalized For Using Illegal Words
The rule, which you’ll read about below, actually makes sense, but it’s still funny to hear, and also just fits in so well with everything that Greg Schiano has done in his first season in Tampa Bay. In fact, that’s the most interesting thing about this story — that another item was added to the list of Greg Schiano Coaching Tactics That No One Respects. From the Tampa Bay Times:
In the case of a critical penalty called against the Bucs on Sunday, actions did not speak as loudly as words. The NFL clarified its position Monday on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Bucs in their 35-28 loss to the Saints. The league agreed with Bucs coach Greg Schiano that the defensive line shift before the snap on a 51-yard field goal attempt by Saints kicker Garrett Hartley was legal. But it ruled that the words used by linebacker Mason Foster to order the shift were not. ”Tampa Bay was penalized yesterday for unsportsmanlike conduct for using disconcerting signals, defined as ‘words designed to disconcert an offensive team at the snap,’ in Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 of the NFL rule book,” league spokesman Jon Zimmer said. Two officials signaled a false start on the Saints, but referee Jerome Boger ruled the Bucs were guilty of using disconcerting signals and penalized them 15 yards. The Saints went on to complete a 95-yard drive for a touchdown and a 35-21 lead in the fourth quarter. The Bucs said Foster approached the defensive line and yelled, “Move!’ Saints guard Jahri Evans said officials were alerted before the play about a possible attempt to create a false start. ”I think that’s just what (the Bucs are) being taught,” Evans said. “And that’s what we told the refs, they can’t try to draw us offsides in that situation or in any part of the game. ”I haven’t seen that in a long time. I played Division II, and they didn’t even do that in DII. It was definitely done to draw us offsides, and we all knew it.”
