The Philadelphia Eagles have been known to bend the rules to their advantage. Look no further than the tush push play, which several NFL teams have complained the Eagles use somewhat illegally to gain a competitive advantage (some believe the way Philadelphia sets the play up and uses its offensive lineman is a form of cheating). And now, the Eagles are being accused of breaking the rules again ahead of their Week 3 matchup against the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football.” Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower recently accused Philadelphia of bending the rules on kickoffs last week against the Tennessee Titans.
While using a holder on kickoffs isn’t illegal, Hightower believes the team used the holder to angle the ball on kickoffs to affect the ball’s trajectory and make it more difficult for the kickoff to be returned. This past year it changed to you can use it at any time. But…the intent of the rule is the ball is supposed to be in a tee when you have a holder out there.
It’s not to be used like you’ve seen it used here lately. He also hopes the fact that special teams coaches are even discussing this kind of unique situation will lead to the NFL changing the rule to prevent teams doing what the Eagles did and requiring a tee to be used even when a holder is on the field. NFL insider Mike Florio reported that if the holder rule was changed, it could happen mid-season and the league wouldn’t have to wait to fix it during the offseason.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
