ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Count Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey among the 55.6 million people who watched the Chiefs-Ravens game Thursday night on NBC.
He saw how on the game’s first series Baltimore Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley was flagged twice and right tackle Patrick Mekari once for illegal formation as they were lined up ever so slightly off the line of scrimmage. Stanley was penalized a third time later in the first half before the officials decided they had made their point.
Offensive tackles were never penalized for such alignments before. They apparently will be this year.
“It’s a point of emphasis,’’ said McGlinchey, who is entering his seventh season as a starting right tackle, second with the Broncos. “And whenever the league makes something a point of emphasis they get called. That’s the way this thing has always gone. They want to clean that up and that’s fine. I’m glad I wasn’t the guinea pig for it. It will be on the top of the minds for everybody else and hopefully not get that call stopping the game like that.”
A savvy veteran, McGlinchey has been known to time the snap count and be the first along the offensive line to drop back in his pass protection stance. Occasionally he’s been a tad early. But nothing like Kansas City right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who was flagged twice in the season opener Thursday and was at times blatant in dropping early into his pass-pro set last year.
“It’s one of those things where you’re trying to get every inch you can to help yourself out in pass pro, especially a place like Arrowhead (Stadium) where Ronnie and Mekari — obviously the tackle is the one player you can see. They’re not going to call it on anybody else.
“But it’s a point of emphasis after some egregious things happened last year and now they’re going to crack down on it. Normally things get (called) a little tight when those things get brought up and that’s fine. And that’s the way we’ve got to operate from here on out. It’s got to be at the top of your brain and part of your process before the snap to make sure you’re on the line of scrimmage.”
McGlinchey and the Broncos open their season Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field, where the crowd noise will make it impossible for the outside players to hear the snap count.
“The first offensive advantage in the game is when the start is, the snap count,'' Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Friday. "So when that gets dissipated a little bit, neutralized, then you have those things that you have to prepare for. I think there’s probably four or five venues that are noticeably different and the other ones, maybe not as much. This certainly is one of them.”
