OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday that he had a problem with the mechanics of the officiating and not the New England Patriots' formation in Baltimore's AFC divisional playoff loss.
After the game, Harbaugh objected to what he called a "substitution trick." He said his stance hasn't changed on the matter at his season-ending news conference Tuesday, although he did make one point clear.
"In no way did I think it determined the outcome of the game," he said.
Harbaugh pointed out that the ball was snapped so quickly that the referee didn't have a chance to get back into position. He also said the signal for eligible receiver and ineligible receiver is the same, which caused confusion during a quickly moving game.
"Bill [Vinovich, the referee] was great about it. He said he would slow it down," Harbaugh said. "I think he went over and told their sideline the same thing, and we didn't see it after that. I thought it was well-handled. In talking to the league since then, Dean [Blandino, the NFL's head of officiating] has told me that the mechanics are being looked at, so changes will have to be made."