The wedge on kick returns? (1 Viewer)

nolafan33

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Can somebody explain to me the new rule with the wedge? I may just have the rule wrong, but after rewatching the game it looked like the Giants ran the wedge on kickreturns quite a few times. Here are some screenshots:

1:
U10500-1256076300.jpg


2:
U10500-1256076380.jpg


3:
U10500-1256076403.jpg


4:
U10500-1256076430.jpg
 
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I don't know the rule, but I noticed that later in the game we put Hargrove in on Kickoffs to break the wedge.
 
"The rule says that three or more players on the return team can't form a shoulder-to-shoulder alignment to block for the ball carrier. It's a fine idea that was designed to protect the safety of players. However, the enforcement of the anti-wedge measure is rife with potential problems."


That was posted on Yahoo, I'm out of this one, that is crazy.


ddd
 
I thought they had a wedge going on several returns, too.
 
Thought the same thing also while watching the game. Did any reporter ask Payton about this?
 
Some of those wedges looked in pretty questionable to me as well. If you look closely at the first two pictures you can see that they basically have two 2 man wedges almost stacked on each other. That is technically not against the rules, since 3 men are not together, but obviously in violation of the spirit of the rule.

I would be surprised if there aren't any revisions to that rule once there is a year of game tape to see how teams sidestepped the rule.
 
I though they were exploting the no more than 3 men rule by putting 2 men shoulder to shoulder, a couple yards, then another 2 men, a couple yards then another. Word for word it's not breaking the rules but is essentially a five man wedge and no saints are gonna get close to penetrating a 5 guy wall.
 
Most of them, the first in particular are legal, two by two is ok, it's three with less than a yard space between each that's illegal. The one at 9:19 is clearly illegal, though. I'm guessing they just aren't good at calling it yet.
 
You can have multiple 2 man wedges, but they are supposed to be 2 yards apart. If you look at your 1st 2 pics posted, you will see how they have seperation between the 2 sets of 2 men.

I'm not sure that 2 yards, but I'm sure because of the obvious seperation is the reason it didn't draw a flag.
 
the rule was made because Steve Gleason retired, and he was the only Human Missile capable of busting them.

without Steve Gleason, that formation gives an unfair advantage to the return team.
 

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