@roach said:

This is the type of play that a team has in their playbook, but it can only be used once per year. Believe me, this week all 32 DC's have used that Cincy play to school their defenses about this type of scenario. Cincy pulled it off at the perfect time. Good for them- shame on our coaches.

Or players. Somebody should have had the sense to call time out!

@sisky-fringo said:

that clears things up some, thanks for posting the article DieHard.

that also makes Patterson about as popular as Stuckey after that Jets (travesty) game.

this NEVER happened in CLE with Ryan's defenses...or under Romeo, or ANYTIME SINCE THE RETURN IN '99 for that matter. !! total B.S.

No Ryan's defenses just sucked.

that also makes Patterson about as popular as Stuckey after that Jets (travesty) game.

this NEVER happened in CLE with Ryan's defenses...or under Romeo, or ANYTIME SINCE THE RETURN IN '99 for that matter. !! total B.S.

Doesn't surprise

<----------------- This guy

Didnt know that just saw what went on with the Raiders and hadnt noticed we put someone else in...How in the hell can you not know you put someone else in the game and let them run a free play ecspically at that time of the game..Its unacceptable

@nw220 said:

Didnt know if anybody happened to notice it but i was watching MNF last night and the Broncos tried to run an offense play before they allowed Oakland to make a Defensive Subsitusion and they got called with a pentaly and stopped the play..

Not sure if it makes a difference but when i saw it all i could think was damn we have some bad luck,We should have been allowed to make are subsitusion of players before Cincy snapped the ball.

Not according to the NFL official ruling:

Report: Bengals within rules on quick-snap TD vs. Browns

NFL.com Wire Reports

Published: September 12, 2011 at 6:11 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals caught the Cleveland Browns off guard for the winning touchdown in Sunday's season opener, but they didn't violate the NFL's substitution rule, a person familiar with the ruling told The Associated Press.

On a third-and-12 play with 4:31 remaining in the game, the Bengals quickly snapped the ball to quarterback Bruce Gradkowski , who threw a 41-yard TD pass to rookie A.J. Green en route to a 27-17 victory over the AFC North rival Browns. The person, who spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity because rulings between teams and the league are confidential, said the Bengals legally substituted and didn't have an advantage on the play.

Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden told The Cincinnati Enquirer on Monday that the play was within the rules.

"It was a legal play," Gruden said. "We substituted, but we huddled and we broke the huddle and snapped it. There was nothing to it really. We broke the huddle, the receivers got set and we snapped the ball. They just weren't ready."

After the game, Browns coach Pat Shurmur wasn't sure if the Bengals' touchdown was illegal. But on Monday, Shurmur accepted responsibility for not calling a timeout before the ball was snapped. Cleveland's defense was still in the huddle when the ball was snapped, and by the time the Browns reacted, it was too late, with Green streaking into the end zone for his first career touchdown.

"There are no excuses," Shurmur said. "If they no-huddle or quick huddle, we have to get out there and cover. If that doesn't happen properly, let's call a timeout. It got snapped so quickly, we couldn't really get it because you're initially trying to get everybody where they need to be.

Browns defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson sent in rookie nickel back Buster Skrine on the play, not realizing that Dimitri Patterson , who had sat out the previous play with an ankle injury, already was back on the field.

Patterson said he forgot to tell Henderson he was going back in the game.

As the Browns waited for linebacker D'Qwell Jackson to give them the defensive call, the Bengals broke their huddle, snapped the ball and caught Cleveland's players squeezing in an afternoon nap.

"We all had our eyes on D'Qwell," Browns linebacker Scott Fujita said. "It was one of those things that we were in the middle of a personnel change and everything was just kind of frozen and then, bam, they came out in 2-point stances. I think they had been gearing up to do that, and we were slow coming out of the huddle earlier, but that's on all of us."