Falcons coach walks back ‘clapgate’ accusations against Patriots

A day after Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris accused the Patriots of simulating Atlanta’s snap count in an eventual 24-23 New England victory, Morris walked again a few of his feedback as speak of “clapgate” began to flow into throughout the NFL.

“I don’t wanna make it a ‘snapgate,’” the Falcons coach informed reporters on Monday. “Which I most likely already did.”

After Sunday’s loss, Morris didn’t mince phrases when harping on a possible guidelines violation dedicated by the Patriots through which they “simulated a snap” by mimicking Atlanta QB Michael Penix Jr.’s clapping. 

“They did a pleasant job. They simulated a snap,” Morris said. “The ball got here early, was snapped early. Inside that snap, that was once we obtained the intentional grounding. Good job by these guys. Nice situational soccer. Nice play. Obtained to snap the ball. That’s why the ball was snapped early on Mike. He wasn’t prepared for the snap.”

The sequence occurred late within the fourth quarter because the Falcons have been making an attempt to march down the sphere and push themselves into field-goal vary for a possible game-winning kick.

On a 2nd-and-20 play from New England’s 48-yard line, Penix instantly threw the soccer away after Milton Williams exploded via the road of scrimmage — resulting in a 10-yard intentional grounding penalty. 

That infraction pushed Atlanta again en path to a stalled drive and an eventual Patriots win. 

Based on NFL guidelines, defensive gamers are usually not allowed to simulate the offense’s snap rely and “disconcerting alerts” will result in a 15-yard penalty. 

“Supposedly they have been clapping,” Penix Jr. mentioned postgame of the Patriots. “For us, every time I’m clapping, meaning I would like the ball.

“I knew [Falcons center Ryan Neuzil] mentioned he heard them clapping,” Penix Jr. added, “and he thought it was my clap, and he snapped the ball. I threw the ball in [Kyle Pitts’] path. He had simply launched on a route. I believed I used to be going to be okay with the grounding half. Clearly that wasn’t the case.”

However on Monday, Morris clarified his tackle the matter — acknowledging that he was pissed off after the loss and was echoing what his gamers had informed him after the sport. 

“This was our gamers telling us they simulated the snap on the market. They heard one thing, clearly they did, that’s why he snapped it,” Morris mentioned. “This was no intent that [New England] did something unsuitable. There was no intent that these guys did something unsuitable.

“It was snapped early for our fault, it was on us,” Morris added. “We gotta discover a manner if the ball will get snapped early to attempt to get the intentional grounding to the suitable man. Clearly (it’s) laborious with a free unblocked runner coming at you. We are able to’t snap the ball early it doesn’t matter what anyone does. It’s gotta be extra about us. That was simply me being indignant yesterday. Any individual requested me what occurred. I used to be simply being trustworthy with what the fellows informed me coming off the grass.”

Regardless of the Patriots’ lengthy historical past of getting embroiled in league controversies like “Spygate” and “Deflategate,” New England head coach Mike Vrabel was bemused when requested in regards to the Falcons feedback on Monday morning throughout his weekly interview on WEEI.

“Quarterbacks when they need the ball, it’s like (loud clapping). I didn’t see anyone doing that,” Vrabel said on “The Greg Hill Show.” “After which, we don’t do the clap, I can see when the quarterback, it’s the silent rely, it’s like (comfortable claps). However I didn’t see anyone do this.

“Clapgate. That was new. I didn’t see that. Perhaps that’s a testomony to our followers,” Vrabel added. “They obtained loud, and I may hear the power. However … I didn’t see something.”

 

Conor Ryan is a employees author masking the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Purple Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.