NFL Will Reportedly Review Leaping Field Goal Blocks In Offseason
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- There aren't many ways for the NFL to make special teams plays more exciting, but the Patriots showed one of them on Monday against the Baltimore Ravens. Linebacker Shea McClellin executed a perfectly timed, untouched leap over Ravens long snapper Morgan Cox and blocked Justin Tucker's field goal attempt without running into the kicker, completing the most exciting play of the game and one of the most exciting plays in football.
But now, of course, there's talk of the NFL looking to ban the play altogether. A league official told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that the NFL Competition Committee has reviewed the play in the past and will do so again this offseason.
The NFL rulebook prohibits players from jumping over the line on field goals if they make contact with an opposing player, which of course allows players like McClellin to leap over the line if they are untouched. It's not an illegal play, but the league may see it as a dangerous one - and a good opportunity to show people that they "care" about "player safety."
McClellin is far from the first NFL player to leap over the long snapper in an attempt to block a field goal. The Seattle Seahawks have been doing it since 2012, when Bruce Irvin jumped the Green Bay Packers' line and just missed his attempt to block the kick in the infamous "Fail Mary" game.
The Seahawks also did it in the 2015 NFC Divisional Playoff, when safety Kam Chancellor jumped over the line on consecutive field goal attempts and blocked the kick on the second try. However, Chancellor was flagged for roughing the kicker on the play. And Patriots fans will fondly remember Jamie Collins' own leap over the long snapper to cleanly block Adam Vinatieri's field goal kick against the Indianapolis Colts later that year.
The Denver Broncos even won a game on the strength of the play earlier this year, as Broncos safety Justin Simmons successfully leaped over the line to block an extra point, which safety Will Parks returned to give Denver a two-point lead over the New Orleans Saints instead of a one-point deficit.
The issue that the league, and some coaches, reportedly have with the play is that the leaping player is taking advantage of an opponent who has his head down. It could cause serious injury to the long snapper's head or neck, or even the leaper's feet, legs or ankles if there were some unintended contact on the play. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, whose team fell victim to the play against the Seahawks' Bobby Wagner earlier this season, spoke out against the play after it happened.
"It's bad for football," Arians said. "Because what you're going to have to do now is start having centers raise their face up and get kicked in the face. And things that are just dangerous to the players. I think it's a dangerous play as it is and should be taken out of the game."
Arians raises a legitimate point: there's really no way to defend the play as it's happening without taking a shot in the face and risking head or neck injuries. But at the same time, the reason the play happened in the first place is because of the way the long snapper was coached to keep his pads low. It was what Belichick and Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge saw when looking at the Ravens and Morgan's snapping technique, and they decided to scheme their special teams to take advantage of the snapper's low stance. It worked to perfection, as it has for the Seahawks after exploiting the same weakness against multiple opponents.
Redskins long snapper Nick Sundberg went into great detail with the Washington Post to explain how he successfully avoids players leaping over him. He lifts his head and shoulders immediately after snapping the ball, which would cause contact (and a penalty) for an opposing player who attempted to leap over him. Because of his technique, teams don't even attempt the play.
That likely won't stop the league from banning leaps over the line altogether. A full ban wouldn't just be a knee-jerk reaction to the Patriots doing it, but it would be hard to believe that McClellin's leaping field goal block won't play a role in the Competition Committee's offseason reviews.
The play known simply as "The Leap" may be gone from the league this time next season, which would take a lot of potential excitement away from special teams plays but also preemptively prevent any injuries to defenseless players that it could cause. What do you think?
This article was updated to include the Denver Broncos' blocked extra point kick on November 13, 2016 against the New Orleans Saints.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.