Falcons coach gives his take on ‘clapgate’
Raheem Morris raised some eyebrows when he accused the Patriots of simulating the Falcons’ snap count in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s 24-23 loss to New England.
“I don’t wanna make it a ‘snapgate,’” the Falcons coach told reporters on Monday. “Which I probably already did.”
He did, though Patriots coach Mike Vrabel referred to it as “clapgate.” Regardless of what it’s being called, Morris admitted he was angry after the loss on Sunday, and he was just relaying what his players told him.
“This was our players telling us they simulated the snap out there. They heard something, obviously they did, that’s why he snapped it,” Morris said. “This was no intent that (the Patriots) did anything wrong. There was no intent that those guys did anything wrong.
“It was snapped early for our fault, it was on us,” he continued. “We gotta find a way if the ball gets snapped early to try to get the intentional grounding to the right guy. Obviously (it’s) hard with a free unblocked runner coming at you. We can’t snap the ball early no matter what anybody does. It’s gotta be more about us. That was just me being angry yesterday. Somebody asked me what happened. I was just being honest with what the guys told me coming off the grass."
The Falcons had a crucial mistimed snap with 2:09 left in the game and down by one when Ryan Neuzil snapped the ball early and hit quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the chest.
After the game, Morris accused the Patriots defense of simulating Atlanta’s snap count, which led to the early snap and 10-yard intentional grounding penalty against the Falcons. An incomplete pass on third-and-20 led to the Patriots getting the ball back and securing the one-point victory.
The NFL rules state that defensive players are not allowed to simulate the offense’s snap count and “disconcerting signals” results in a 15-yard penalty.
“Quarterbacks when they want the ball, it’s like (loud clapping). I didn’t see anybody doing that,” Vrabel said Monday. “And then, we don’t do the clap, I can see when the quarterback, it’s the silent count, it’s like (soft claps). But I didn’t see anybody do that.”
Dodgers insider throws cold water on potential Kyle Tucker signing over self-inflicted roadblock
The offseason is quickly approaching after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. One big name to watch this offseason is Kyle Tucker, who is expected to command a massive paycheck.
“Tucker is expected to be the highest paid free agent in this class. Most analysts believe he will get somewhere between $500 million and $650 million based on the recent contracts of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with the Blue Jays ($500 million) and Juan Soto with the Mets ($765 million). Tucker can impact a game in so many ways with his five tools: hitting, power, defense, arm strength and speed. He has made four straight All-Star teams and is putting together another strong season,” The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote.
Lately, the Dodgers have emerged as one of the favorites to sign Tucker this offseason. However, there could be factors that prevent him from joining Los Angeles.
“The only way I see Dodgers landing Kyle Tucker is if he signs an Alex Bregman type contract (3 yr/$120M) with opt outs. With the 2027 season in question, tough to imagine he'd want to do that unless his market is not there this offseason and the Dodgers are too enticing,” Dodgers writer Blake Harris wrote.
Adding to the uncertainty is the question of MLB salary cap space, which has been a concern due to the Dodgers’ high payroll.
“Yet, there are plenty of teams leaguewide that will look at the Dodgers’ recent spending, shrug their shoulders, and not even consider following in their footsteps. Not only did the Dodgers’ $240 million payroll lead baseball, but they spent over $200 million more than three teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates ($31.1 million), Baltimore Orioles ($25.4 million), and Miami Marlins ($22.3 million). Only 17 of the league’s 30 teams fielded at least an $80 million payroll, a jarring and concerning sight ahead of a potential lockout following the 2026 season,” FanSided’s Jake Elman wrote.
The Dodgers’ tendency to go all out each offseason could influence Tucker to look elsewhere this year. While nothing is certain, that concern is undoubtedly on the minds of free agents.
Tucker will be an intriguing player to watch as the winter unfolds. If a potential lockout becomes a concern, the Dodgers could miss out on this top available free agent.
