The Miami Dolphins' offense took the NFL by storm last year and a big reason that happened is because coach Mike McDaniel implemented a new pre-snap motion that allowed his speedy players, like Tyreek Hill, to thrive.
At one point last season, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan referred to the movement as a "cheat" motion and it seems the NFL agrees with that assessment. For the 2024 season, the Dolphins could be penalized if they continue to use the motion due to a new rule that's being added this year.
The 2024 version of the NFL rulebook contains an item that wasn't there in 2023. Here's what the new rule says, "If an eligible receiver who is on the line of scrimmage moves backward or changes his stance (two point to three point or conversely) and does not come to a complete stop before the snap, it is a false start. Any eligible backfield player who changes his stance does not have to come to a complete stop prior to the snap, as long as his actions are not abrupt (false start) or forward (illegal motion)."
The words in bold were added for the 2024 season. According to Pro Football Talk, the NFL explicitly added the new rule to cut down on what the Dolphins were doing.
Miami's pre-snap motion would feature a receiver starting to angle toward the line of scrimmage just before the snap, as you can see in the video below with Hill.
Mike McDaniel used "cheat" motion 7 times in Week 1, mainly with Tyreek Hill.
— Kyle Posey (@KP_Show) September 28, 2023
Sean McVay & Kyle Shanahan come back the next week and run a similar concept with Tutu Atwell and Deebo Samuel.
The motion gives the WR a running start into his route.
It's a copycat league. pic.twitter.com/NmOan6gK1S
After the Dolphins used the motion in Week 1, the Rams and 49ers both started to use it in the weeks that followed.
The NFL is a copycat league, and last season, Shanahan had no problem admitting that he stole the idea from Miami.
"The [Dolphins] did that in Week 1 with a little cheat motion," Shanahan said. "We did it in Week 2 after we saw it. The Rams did it about three times versus us in Week 2. ... It looks hard to stop people like Tyreek and Deebo [Samuel] and stuff with a running start."
The 49ers, Dolphins and Rams will likely be the three teams that are most impacted by the NFL's new rule. Not surprisingly, all three teams are led by guys who come from the same coaching tree: Shanahan, McDaniel and Sean McVay, who were all on the same coaching staff in 2013 with Washington.
All three coaches are known for being innovative and now that the NFL is shutting down this version of pre-snap motion, it will likely only be a matter of time before they think of another way to exploit the rulebook.
