Eagles kicker Jake Elliott doesn’t think his team has broken any rules when using an item to mark the kicking spot. Elliott told NJ.com that it’s something “probably 30 teams do” around the NFL.
Elliott also told NJ.com that the Eagles have spoken to the league about the alleged cheating infractions.
“We’ve always used something that’s within the rules,” Elliott said. “It’s just literally to mark the spot. It’s part of the playing surface, like a piece of grass or something like that.”
Allegations emerged from a Football Zebras report that stated officials were warned to watch for “illegal foreign objects” which the balls were being placed on, during field goals and extra points.
One of those incidents reportedly occurred during Philadelphia’s 48-22 victory over the Giants in Week 14.
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“When we talked to them, we explained what we’re doing, and they saw what we were doing,” Elliott said, according to NJ.com. “It’s just a point of emphasis, and someone makes it bigger than it is. Everything we’ve done has been completely legal.”
Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said during his weekly press conference that “it is what it is, I’ll just leave it at that” before adding that it helps when “you leave a visual spot down there.”
“I’m going to let them do them, and we’re doing to do us,” McGaughey said. “I ain’t gonna worry about what they do. My primary focus is our guys, our battery, taking care of that. Yeah, I’m not going to worry about that.”
The Giants face the Eagles on Saturday to kick off the NFC’s divisional round, with New York entering off a 31-24 victory over the Vikings. A key piece of Philadelphia’s success this year — beyond the contributions from quarterback Jalen Hurts, a plethora of skill-position players and its defense — has been Elliott in the kicking game.
The 27-year-old, who has spent his entire career with Philadelphia, made 87 percent of his field goals during the regular season, which was the second-highest percentage Elliott has ever compiled. He also made 51 of 53 extra points, with both his attempts and makes serving as the top marks in the NFL.
