I thought it was a handoff to El and then he shoveled it forward?
It was a lateral to El !!
It was supposed to be a lateral to El (backwards or sideways) but, it went forward. It was stone illegal.
I saw the Patriots do that to the Steelers in the playoff game on a kickoff (or interception) return where they lateraled two yards forward. I hope you get to see it again. I could not believe that it wasn't challenged.
The Washington Post's Boswell on Brown's forward lateral in the Patriot - Steeler playoff game:
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http://sportsforum.ws/showthread.html?t=11949
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Here's what happened: Brown's lateral to Harris went forward, at least two feet, not backward. So it was illegal. Slow-motion freeze frame, from two complementary angles, is as clear as a bell. If the Steelers had challenged the ruling, they would almost certainly have gotten a reversal. One camera was directly behind the play, shot from the end zone. So you can see exactly when the ball leaves Brown's hand and when Harris catches it. The other camera, on the sideline, is at the 50-yard line, exactly where the illegal "lateral" took place. From the end zone angle, you can see that the ball is entirely out of Brown's hands just as his right foot lands a bit shy of the 50. From the sideline angle, you can see that, as his right foot lands, no part of his body, or any part of the ball, has quite reached the 50. So, the lateral has been made before midfield. From both angles, it's clear that when Harris first touches the ball, it is about two feet past midfield. Lateraled before the 50. Caught on the other side. What could be more "indisputable?" You can discuss whether the ball went two feet forward, or perhaps as much as a full yard forward. But you can't say it was legal. And you can't say that, on replay, it was even very close. Calls are routinely reversed on far less crystal-clear camera work. Unfortunately, the Steelers didn't have any challenges left.