It's safe to say that Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh don't see eye to eye on the fairness of the unbalanced, "substitution trick" formation the New England Patriots employed to great effect in their second round NFL playoff victory over Harbaugh's Ravens.
Pagano, seeking clarification on the legality of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's crafty ploy involving lining up with only four offensive lineman and declaring a normally eligible receiver, ineligible, made calls to both NFL and Ravens officials.
Pagano spoke with the NFL's head of officiating, Dean Blandino on Sunday morning - before his Colts played the Denver Broncos in their divisional playoff game - because he was worried the Broncos would do something similar.
"They did nothing wrong as far as what was explained to me, nothing wrong in what they did," Pagano said Monday, per ESPN. "Again, we just have to make sure we cover all our bases and understand they do a great job and they use a ton of personnel groups."
Harbaugh's objection to the formation stemmed from his belief that the Ravens didn't have a change to make the proper defensive adjustments as they didn't know who the eligible receivers on the field were.
"They only had four linemen in on those plays, had three wideouts, two tight ends and a running back and a quarterback," Pagano said. "It made it difficult for the defense to get lined up, especially if you're in a man-to-man situation and you're trying to figure out who is eligible, who's not, who's on the ball, who's off the ball, all those types of things. You don't have a lot of time. Officials aren't going to slow the thing down and let you get lined up so to speak. We have to be prepared for everything obviously."
Pagano's Colts will face off against Belichick's Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Sunday Jan. 18 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
