“Quite Frankly, It’s A Legal Play.”
October 22nd, 2012“Add me to the list. Quite frankly it’s a legal play.” — Greg Schiano.
Schiano said at his news conference today that he’s among those who don’t understand what went wrong when the Bucs’ defensive shift on a field goal attempt — and the call to shift — drew a key 15-yard penalty Sunday.
Rather than a 51-yard field goal try, the Saints got a first down and drove for a touchdown. Schiano pointed out the Bucs did the “exact same thing” against the Redskins. Seen here.
The leader of the New Schiano Order did not offer specifics but said since game officials flagged the Bucs against the Saints it’s unlikely he will use that field-goal block tactic again.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Why don’t Someone investigate this further. What the Saints did here in my opinion is real illegal tactics.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:22 pm
The zebras are killing us this season
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:23 pm
NFL screwed up either the Redskins game OR the Saints Game ???? can’t have it both ways..WHICH IS IT ?
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:25 pm
This is one stubborn guy! However in some ways that’s a good thing. If his seemingly arrogance translates into a refuse to lose mentality, that will be a good thing. In the end, if we start winning, nobody will care. I certainly won’t!
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:34 pm
The shift itself was not against the rules. It was his call to shift. The ref believed it was intended to interfere with the snap. That’s the refs opinion and his opinion is the only one that counts. If he thinks it’s intentional then it is.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Seems like Schiano needs clarification from the league office as to why or how we can shift the line legally? If there is no rule that says you cannot shift, then they need to clarify how we call an audible to shift when we want to.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 states teams cannot use ‘acts or words…designed to disconcert an offensive team at the snap.
So, wouldn’t that hold true for every defensive snap? Doesn’t every team play cat and mouse, audibles and such, to get in better defensive sets? If that draws the offense offsides, then the above rule could be applied…right?
Clarification Joe.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:48 pm
If the offense didnt jump I see no point in throwing the flag. That one judgement call changed the entire outcome of the game. It’s a garbage call and I agree with the first post, the saints had a lot to do with it.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Roman Harper also had an interception taken away from him.
Just to play devils advocate…
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:52 pm
WWE? or NFL? The out come seems the same.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Wrong.
Calling out defensive signals is one thing. Yelling out — nobody really knows what truly was yelled — that the officials believe — keyword there — was used to get the Saints to jump offsides is something entirely different.
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I love that Schiano is testing the limits. Why the heck not?
We are getting much more competitive.
The Benn’d Around should never show it’s face around this offense again. I’d rather see that miniscule play result in another target to VJ, MW, or Tiquan (you know the good WR’s we have on this team).
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:55 pm
How else are they supposed to time a shift?
And even if they were, it’s not like the offense can try to yell things at the defense to try to draw them offsides… Oh wait…
Either way, shouldn’t we put more focus on the fact that it’s somehow “legal” to push an offensive player, running a route on a pass play, out of bounds thus taking them out of the play just because the quarterback moves outside the pocket? Are you kidding me? That’s actually in the rulebook?
Why don’t our defenders just start going all NFL Blitz 2000 on receivers as soon as their QB breaks the pocket???
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:06 pm
This has now crossed over into petty whining. The rule is there to keep a defender from trying to imitate the QB’s snap count to draw an offensive tackle or TE (who usually cannot see the ball being snapped and just go off sound) into a false start.
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:28 pm
I was too upset to post anything yesterday after the game. Now I’m getting pi$$ed all over again but….
Schiano should just play the damn game and quit testing the limits of the rules and officials. I don’t necessarily agree with the officials put Schiano has pi$$ed a number of people off and it is hurting his team and costing us wins. He really upset the one scab ref in the Giants’ game and it may have had an impact. He is trying these trick plays on special teams and it is killing us when we can’t stop the pass against anyone. He is focusing on the wrong things and needs to pull his head out of his A$$. Who knows? Maybe if Schiano wasn’t such a Dick, maybe the call at the end of the game may have gone his way. I am staying true for now but my patience is growing thin for his stupid antics.
Just play the damn game. Play it the way it’s played and quit trying to rewrite the books. Coach, you aren’t there yet. Learn to win the right way and then expand your horizons.
Coach Schiano is in my doghouse right now and I’m fed up with his mistakes and all of his shenanigans.
When the Bucs had 4’th down or even 3’rd and goal after the VJ catch, that idiot should have called a timeout and changed the D line momentum, regrouped to call a good play and get everyone on the same page, especially that idiot Blount if he was getting the ball.
Coach Schiano’s dumbass is basically giving away games and I don’t pay good money for that.
Now Raheem was just an idiot, but at least he didn’t try to get cute when he was losing.
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:32 pm
This loss falls 100% squarely on Coach Schiano. It is his fault and his Complete lack of Respect for the Game and how it is played.
Can’t focus with your head up your A$$!!!
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:44 pm
@bigmac: who made you the arbitrator of this web site or the bucaneer team? Name calling is for bullies and those who can’t support their arguments. We are all upset. It’s bad enough to be pissed off, “yesterday we were pissed on”.
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Wow, so many fans getting so overblown about things. Yes, we lost a game we could have won. I could say that about the other 3 losses as well. In an earlier post by Joe, radio talk is saying fans are “happy” with the team losing, yet listening to many comments on many boards regarding many things (special teams penalty, legitimacy of MW TD catch, etc.) the fans are obviously not happy with losing. One thing to remember though, we are losing games we could (and possibly should) win this year. Last year we were losing because we quit. We gave up. This team, these players, these coaches are head and shoulders above what we put on the field last year. Yes, some are the same players, but they’re playing differently this year. They’re making fewer mistakes, they’re playing the full 60 minutes of games. We have a long way to go to be a truly good team, but the improvement is what some fans are happy with. And that goes for coaching as well as players and play-making.
Some are still upset about the V-formation attack at the end of the Giants game because it put our players in jeopardy of being injured and the odds weren’t very good to succeed. Personally, I couldn’t care less about the odds, and the players are getting paid good money to put themselves at risk of injury. With a chance to tie or win, Schiano is saying “Go for it”. I can appreciate that mentality, and it makes me feel better about the loss than simply laying down and accepting the loss (especially one within reach) before the clock runs out. This week, to avoid a two score deficit (if possible), Schiano pulls out a play that is borderline legal. It’s ok to make calls on defense, it’s ok to move on the line so long as no one enters the neutral zone (or lines up over the center). In this situation, the refs determined it was a coordinated effort to cause a false start by the offense. Against Washington (with replacement refs), they felt differently (maybe because the Skins didn’t whine to the refs before the play).
Schiano is doing everything in his power to push this team over the top and win games. Some tactics may push the limits of what’s legal and what’s not, but he’s doing what he deems necessary to get this team some victories. Honestly, he wouldn’t have to use these tactics if the team would play like they did getting the 21-7 lead for the whole game instead of the 1st quarter and 4th quarter… They wouldn’t need late game heroics if they could simply get and hold a lead instead of giving it away like the Giants and Saints games.
I’ll still stand here and be proud of my Bucs. Not for losing, but for the vast improvements I have seen over last year’s team. For being in every game this season with a chance to win each one. Not once this year have I felt like we couldn’t compete with the other team, like we were simply outmatched by a better team. I sincerely hope coach Schiano continues to take his approach of doing everything within the coaches power to win games. The minute he gives up, the players will follow, they’ve already shown a tendency to do that.
So, my hat’s off to you coach Schiano. Keep pushing the limits of your players and your calls in every effort to win games. Never give up.
October 22nd, 2012 at 6:09 pm
@BigMac…..quit crying dude. You sound like girl on her period.
October 22nd, 2012 at 6:11 pm
Can’t wait till ‘one of his antics’ nets us a win. Keep in mind you’re criticizing a man for doing everything possible within the rule book to get wins for the team. I’m glad we have a coach thats wiling to be creative and look for NEW ways instead of just following what everyone else does…
October 22nd, 2012 at 6:14 pm
So because I don’t agree with you guys, I’m crying.
My question for you guys and Coach “it was a legal play” is: how’s that working out for you???
I want to win and they should be. After losing by inches, Schiano has cost them a foot or more.
October 22nd, 2012 at 6:19 pm
I’m no bully and who did I call names? I probably donate more to The Wounded Warrior Project than you earn in a year. Bully? What a joke. Stating my opinion like everyone else does. Don’t like it? Too bad. I only speak for me.
October 22nd, 2012 at 8:25 pm
So let me get this right a qb can bark off fack snap noises to draw a defense offsides but a lb can’t bark to draw a false start?
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:37 pm
I see this play exactly as I saw the “leaping” play. Even if it is a rule, it’s a stupid rule that should be avoided in virtually all situations. If we were yelling “hike”, then maybe, but from what I’ve read, he just said “move”. I’m sure Gruden knew the rules when the leaping penalty was called, he just probably never suspected it would be called (and it shouldn’t be). I didn’t blame Gruden for that, and I don’t blame Schiano for this. However, if it happens again, that’s a different story. I do know one thing, if we were a darling NFL team with a darling NFL QB, that would not be called.