NFL’s new ‘cheat motion’ ban and the teams it impacts most, explained

The NFL is a copycat league, and last year the motion that was copied around the NFL was the “cheat” motion used by the Miami Dolphins. Tyreek Hill (very fast) would run quickly away from the formation right before the snap, just stretching the motion rules of the NFL. Very quickly, teams like the 49ers and Rams took it on, with Niners’ head coach Kyle Shanahan giving it the “cheat” name.

Well, the NFL might be trying to get the motion out of the game for good. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the NFL is adding a rule to the league this year to get rid of more illegal motions. This is how it reads in specificity:

“Any eligible backfield player who changes his stance does not have to come to a complete stop prior to the snap, as long as his actions are not abrupt (false start) or forward (illegal motion).”

According to Florio, this is directed at ending the cheat motion the three teams above used en route to offensive explosion last year. However, it’s worth asking if this is going to do literally anything. While this is aimed at stopping motion that looks like this:

However, forward motion before the snap was already illegal. You might recognize it from the CFL, where a player can be running forward before the snap (watch 82 in the gold helmet here):

So, how would this new rule be stopping the cheat motion? Well, the attempt is to curb the forward motion combined with the cheat motion. The Dolphins, Niners and Rams all push the limits of what’s considered forward motion, and because the snap is timed so perfectly, they don’t get called for a forward motion. So yeah, they are going forward a little bit, but it’s always a split second before the snap, so quickly that referees can’t see it in real time. So if they couldn’t see it in real time, how are they going to officiate and legislate it now that it’s illegal? It seems like the rule is putting a lot more on the refs’ plate than there needs to be, and because these teams move so fast it’s going to result in a lot of stops in play, making the game move a lot slower.

I really doubt this stops teams from using the cheat motion overall, but I do wonder if this reduces the amount of downfield passing that gets done using this motion. If they’re curbing the forward motion, will teams just eliminate that potential of a penalty by not using it for downfield passes? It would almost exclusively become a screen and run game eye candy piece, but that would also give the defense more tips on the game plan. It’s an interesting thought, but again, I doubt this truly does anything for teams like Miami, San Francisco and LA.

If the NFL really wants to do something of consequence, ban the RPO. Start with that before you get to the big stuff like banning motion.