The Lane Johnson Controversy

[DogFace]

Well there you go. It's a big conspiracy

Yes. And now I know you’re involved!!!

 

[DogFace]

actually I think somewhere in the rules offensive lineman are allowed to move as long as they're reset before the snap of the football and it didn't draw the defense off sides so in that case we need to start jumping offsides and before so make sure the referees are looking for why they jumped off sides fact is he moves his leg and it causes us to be outsides and he wasn't reset before the snap of the football at least one second then yes it is definitely a penalty...

Oh, Is that what they’re saying? That he reset before the ball moved?

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Well there you go. It's a big conspiracy

Cue the whiners.

Cue the Eagles fans

 

[Roadtrip635]

The "point" of it is that refs obviously allow certain things to slide to benefit the OL so perhaps allowing a leg kick on the twitch of the Center snapping the ball is something they allow as well. I'm sure teams have talked to refs about it. Where people are getting mixed up is looking for ball movement. The rules don't mention the ball moving, they say snap. Perhaps what Johnson says he looks for out of Kelce is considered part of the snap without the ball moving. That's why officiating needs to weigh in on why this is allowed.

Sometimes it is timed just right, but there are times, he does in fact start early. The issue is that he does that move consistently and the refs can overlook the times he doesn't time it right because they get conditioned to it and they are going to err to protecting the QB. Doesn't make it right. The Chiefs RT does a similar thing and outside of one game because of a lot of outside scrutiny from their previous game, does he get called very often.

 

[speedkilz88]

If Lurie ever sues the NFL and wins they will start calling it on Johnson. Jerry sealed his fate with the Zebras when he sued the NFL for 3 billion bucks back in 1995. Remember the league had sued him for 1 billion the week before regarding Jerry having stuck up all those sponsorships and naming rights deals outside of the NFL auspices. When Jerry counter-sued the NFL folded and obviously the whole league adopted Jerry's model. But the NFL's chief counsel was left with serious egg on his face.. That chief counsel was Roger Goodell. I don't think he has ever forgiven Jerry for that!!

Goodell was not chief council. He's not a lawyer, he's been on the business side and also over the refs.

 

[BoyzBlaster]

Cue the Eagles fans

lol

 

[Cowboys1966]

It’s been all over Twitter this week. Lane Johnson false starting on nearly every play. Eagles fans claim it’s a loophole and the RT is allowed to adjust his right leg. But Johnson’s whole body moves before the snap quite often.

I hope all the negative attention benefits us this weekend!

Oh, btw, I reached the definite conclusion that Eagles fans are the worst cry-babies in all of NFL fandom. Definitely, the NFL’s worst fan base.

It’s more than just him that does it…though he is the best at it…he lives in the grey area…Obviously in the grey area it’s not really a penalty…

Good SI article on it - https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/02/07/the-lane-johnson-controversy

“If the speed limit is 40 miles per hour and you’re going 45 miles per hour and you don’t get pulled over, are you speeding?””

And, Oh the irony - calling one fan base cry-babies as you cry about penalties. Funny stuff.

 

[loublue22]

so if you slightly flinch its a false start but if you're whole body moves backwards clearly before the ball is snapped it's not?

lol at some in this thread

 

[blueblood70]

Oh, Is that what they’re saying? That he reset before the ball moved?

I'm not saying that every time I don't watch them I mean the only time I really watch the Eagles is when we play them or pieces of games I'm saying that's a possibility I mean if I get the rules out and you really dig through them I think there's a Gray area there as you see a lot of lineman moving it's kind of like the motion guy he has to set right before the snap he's locked not allowed to move forward I mean you see these guys waving their hands calling out plays but then right before the play they have to actually sit on the offensive line and I believe if they move their leg back but then it set right before the snap and did not cause a guy to go outside it's possible it's legal

I wish somebody would clear it up completely but I think there's some Gray area there that we might be missing... But I believe if he does move his leg backwards and somebody does come off sides that is on the offense and it should be called so somebody needs to maybe take advantage of this but before so get in the ear of the referee before the game and tell him to watch for the leg moving backwards and if that draws Micah Parsons offsides then it's gonna be on the offense in my opinion but hey... These guys play 50 plus snaps a game so I'm not watching every single time he drives his leg back but I do notice this there are a lot of tackles getting away with lining up already not on the line like they're supposed to be they're already trying to get an advantage and he might be one of them cause between him and Trent Williams with the 49ers they seem to be lining up in the backfield...

 

[blueblood70]

so if you slightly flinch its a false start but if you're whole body moves backwards clearly before the ball is snapped it's not?

lol at some in this thread

I believe it's such a Gray area it's very hard to tell what is actually legal and not legal I believe you're allowed to move on the line as long as you're set for at least like a second before the snap guys call out please they move their arms they yell out coverages and whatnot but then they have to set for what the refs appear to be at least the second before the snap but once you're set and you move then it's a penalty but yeah it is very confusing on which part of it is a penalty and what not but I believe if it doesn't draw somebody outside it may not be a penalty...

Look we're just fans but I believe we're not the only fans or the teams that think that these guys lining up too far in the backfield or taking that movement right before the snap is illegal and I guarantee they brought it up to the referees before..​

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this isn't a new issue, This Is Us discussing this issue... So somebody has had to bring this up to the league and to the referees and pointed it out and said film and if they're allowing it then what are we supposed to do??​

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they're at least four pass interference calls that are not called every game that are obvious pass interference you had the one picked up on Gallup, so explain to me how that's not a penalty when they threw the flag, everybody who saw it, says it's a penalty,and yet they wave it off in an important part of the game, right at the end of the game imagine if that would have stood and we get the ball at the 1 yard line first and goal maybe after that the interception doesn't happen you know where they're forcing balls out of desperation....​

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I mean yes the way they call games and what they decide to call and what they don't because they claim they don't want to clutter up the game with ticky tack calls puts everything in a Gray area and it's very confusing to fans and it does look like a conspiracy even if it's not it does look like they're trying to steer flows of the game in whatnot and it's makes everybody have these debates and nobody really knows which side is correct...​

 

[SuperBowlz]

Sometimes it is timed just right, but there are times, he does in fact start early. The issue is that he does that move consistently and the refs can overlook the times he doesn't time it right because they get conditioned to it and they are going to err to protecting the QB. Doesn't make it right. The Chiefs RT does a similar thing and outside of one game because of a lot of outside scrutiny from their previous game, does he get called very often.

No no no. You can't involve any other team. The conspiracy is the NFL only cheats for the Eagles.

 

[Cowboys1966]

The bigger question is…why don’t we do it. If it’s not really a penalty then it’s coaching incompetence not to.

 

[Eddie]

Napoleon over Thanksgiving weekend. F-

 

[mmohican29]

Because it isn't a false start

Yeah it is though

 

[GrouchySmurf]

...and call false start often.

 

[Cowboys5217]

They aren't going to call Philly for that, or much at all.

We will get called for at least 10 penalties while Philly won't get 5.

 

[SuperBowlz]

Yeah it is though

So the NFL hasnt called it a penalty since before Lane Johnson even entered the league back when Jason Peters perfected it... but it is actually a penalty. All of the other 31 teams complained to the NFL rules committee and they all got shot down because they NFL adores Lane Johnson and he has more power then the other 31 teams combined. Makes sense

 

[Manwiththeplan]

It’s been all over Twitter this week. Lane Johnson false starting on nearly every play. Eagles fans claim it’s a loophole and the RT is allowed to adjust his right leg. But Johnson’s whole body moves before the snap quite often.

I hope all the negative attention benefits us this weekend!

Oh, btw, I reached the definite conclusion that Eagles fans are the worst cry-babies in all of NFL fandom. Definitely, the NFL’s worst fan base.

yea...I really want the NFL to do something about this as opposed to the tush push

I notice it when we play them and it drives me crazy

 

[Creeper]

It’s more than just him that does it…though he is the best at it…he lives in the grey area…Obviously in the grey area it’s not really a penalty…

Good SI article on it - https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/02/07/the-lane-johnson-controversy

“If the speed limit is 40 miles per hour and you’re going 45 miles per hour and you don’t get pulled over, are you speeding?””

And, Oh the irony - calling one fan base cry-babies as you cry about penalties. Funny stuff.

This article is complete BS. The rule is simple and explicit. This article does not include one quote from the people pointing out Johnson's false starts, nor does it include any of the many videos online showing Johnson leaving early and not getting called. The author doesn't even bother to get a quote or explanation from an NFL ref.

This isn't a complaint about questionable holds, or PI where the calls are largely subjective. This is a complaint about obvious false starts where there is no subjectivity. There is no grey area. Once the player is set, if he moves suddenly it is a false start. Johnon's leg kick is the start of his back peddle. He does it at least a few times every game and only if it is so obvious it can't be ignored to the refs call it, as was the case in the SF game. I don't know if this has effected the outcome of games or not, but as a football fan I would like to know why they do not call this penalty as the rule is written. And while we can speculate if other players do it, I have yet to see any video evidence of any NFL player doing it repeatedly and getting away with it.

 

[Cowboys1966]

This article is complete BS. The rule is simple and explicit. This article does not include one quote from the people pointing out Johnson's false starts, nor does it include any of the many videos online showing Johnson leaving early and not getting called. The author doesn't even bother to get a quote or explanation from an NFL ref.

This isn't a complaint about questionable holds, or PI where the calls are largely subjective. This is a complaint about obvious false starts where there is no subjectivity. There is no grey area. Once the player is set, if he moves suddenly it is a false start. Johnon's leg kick is the start of his back peddle. He does it at least a few times every game and only if it is so obvious it can't be ignored to the refs call it, as was the case in the SF game. I don't know if this has effected the outcome of games or not, but as a football fan I would like to know why they do not call this penalty as the rule is written. And while we can speculate if other players do it, I have yet to see any video evidence of any NFL player doing it repeatedly and getting away with it.

I am actually trying to figure this one out… I just watched some video… there is a video where he did go early, but there’s also video where it looks like he went early but when you watch it in slow mo it was virtually perfect..

Trying to be impartial, after watching a lot and reading a lot, it seems that there absolutely is a gray area… yes occasionally he does go early, but that’s much more rare than you think…Most of the time when you think he jumped early, he did not… He just timed it perfectly, and is so much faster off the ball, than the rest of the offensive line, that he looks too early.

And because it’s so close, I think the referees give him the benefit of doubt.

It’s a skill that we should learn. In a league where they protect the quarterback, above all else, then I wouldn’t expect this to change anytime soon . If he can do it, our guy should be able to do it…