Ronnie Stanley felt slighted.
The Ravens were flagged for three illegal formation penalties on their first seven plays in Thursday night’s NFL season opener in Kansas City, including two against the veteran left tackle. Then late in the second quarter: Stanley again.
“I really feel like they were just trying to make an example and they chose me to be the one to do that,” Stanley said of the officials. “As far as I saw, they weren’t doing it on both sides of the ball and I know that I was lined up in good position the majority of those calls they made.”
A string of penalties overshadowed the start of a highly anticipated AFC championship rematch. What gives?
The formation fouls were reviewed with teams “extensively” before, during and after training camps, according to Football Zebras, an NFL officiating account with more than 35,000 followers on X. According to the post, the NFL’s Competition Committee said the “bowing of the linemen” is an advantage in pass rush situations and needed to be addressed.
Players must have their helmet aligned with at least the belt line of the center to avoid being flagged. Stanley was confident his head was “breaking the center’s butt” and would check the film later to confirm before sending an inquiry to the league office.
NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth went as far as to note on the opening drive that the officiating crew was calling the penalty “razor-sharp.” Kansas City was not flagged for an illegal formation call Thursday night.
“In practice, we didn’t have that,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said after the 27-20 loss that came down to the final play. “We had refs at practice and throughout camp and stuff like that, we rarely had a call like that. So for that to go down in a game like this, first game of the season, things happen.”
They had conversations with officials in the offseason, Stanley said, specifically at OTAs. And the Ravens’ offensive front received a passing grade on the new rule emphasis.
“It’s their decision, but it didn’t feel consistent with what we were told from the other refs early on,” Stanley said.
Usually a new rule/emphasis that has an adjustment period will go 2 or 3 weeks at most. The reason why it stops being called is that coaches don't have the patience for it to drag out 8 weeks and players figure out how to adjust/adapt https://t.co/fGOM6wVq1R
— Fᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ Zᴇʙʀᴀs🇺🇦 (@footballzebras) September 6, 2024
There are three main prongs to the official rulebook on illegal formation: teams must have seven or more players on the line, eligible receivers must be on both ends of the line with all the players between them ineligible, and no player may be out of bounds.
All five offensive linemen must be aligned before the play otherwise they’re susceptible to a flag for illegal formation and a 5-yard penalty.
Stanley said there was some dialogue with Thursday night’s officials, led by crew chief Shawn Hochuli. “They just kept saying, ‘You need to move up.’” Stanley said. “And I’m like, ‘How much more do I need to move up?’” He even watched from the sideline as Kansas City’s offensive front lined up similarly. “[It was] making me feel like I’m crazy,” he said.
Teams have gotten leeway in the past. Although maybe not Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor who, in 2023, was flagged for illegal formation three times in two weeks. His 20 infractions worth 140 yards led the NFL by a wide margin.
“It’ll be interesting to see if they call it the same way the whole season,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “I’ll challenge them to call it the same way they called it tonight the whole season. So hopefully they’ll be consistent about that.”
