As Joe Montana once confirmed, in the NFL, if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.
And while Packers kick returner Ty Montgomery didn’t technically cheat during the second quarter of Green Bay’s game against Detroit on Sunday, he’s definitely trying — really hard.
After a Lions kickoff, the ball came to a rest on the 2-yard line. Rather than picking it up in-bounds and attempting a return, Montgomery placed both feet out of bounds before falling on the ball. And since the NFL rulebook states that the ball is considered out of bounds once it touches a player who is off the field of play, Detroit was penalized for illegal procedure, and Green Bay started the ensuing drive at the 40-yard line.
Ex-NFL VP of officiating and current referring analyst for FOX Sports Mike Pereira explained why on Twitter:
Ty Montgomery made a brilliant play on a kickoff.
Here’s why pic.twitter.com/jhJo6zGM9K
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) September 25, 2016
We should point out that the Packers appear to be coaching their return men to exploit this loophole, as Randall Cobb did almost the exact same thing in a game against the Tennessee Titans in 2012.
All’s fair in love and football.
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