re: PFT: NFL views DET situation as Lions trying "deception that backfired"; no changes coming

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Jan 10, 2015, 11:06 PM ET

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh objected to what he called a "substitution trick" by the New England Patriots in the third quarter of Saturday's AFC divisional playoff game, saying it was "clearly deception" that he hopes the league examines.

John Harbaugh said he took an unsportsmanlike penalty in order to get officials' "attention so they would understand what was going on." The Ravens' coach objected to a Pats subbing pattern designed to keep his team off balance.

The Patriots dug into their bag of tricks on their second drive of the third quarter, lining up just four offensive linemen and declaring a normally eligible receiver as ineligible to keep Baltimore off balance. Ravens players were confused about which Patriots to match up with in coverage, and Harbaugh drew an unportsmanlike conduct penalty for running onto the field and screaming in objection.

Harbaugh said after the game that the officials "didn't understand what was going on." "We wanted an opportunity to be able to ID who the eligible players were," Harbaugh said. "What [the Patriots] were doing was they announce the ineligible player and then Tom [Brady] would take them to the line right away and snap the ball before we had a chance to figure out who was lined up where. That was the deception part of it. It was clearly deception.

"So the officials told me after that they would give us the opportunity to do that, which they probably should've done during that series but they didn't really understand what was happening. That's why I had to take the penalty, to get their attention so they would understand what was going on because they didn't understand what was going on. ... That's why guys were open, because we didn't ID where the eligible receivers were at."

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