‘Are we in Canada?’ Peyton Manning references CFL waggle after illegal motion by San Francisco 49ers

September 9, 2024

Eli Manning, Peyton Manning — Courtesy: AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Peyton Manning may have played the four-down variety of football, but he knows a CFL waggle when he sees one.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback turned broadcaster produced a memorable soundbite during the first Monday Night Football broadcast of the 2024 season after San Francisco 49ers’ running back Jordan Mason appeared to move forward prior to the snap. Receiver Ronnie Bell, who was motioning across the formation, also appeared to curl toward the line of scrimmage.

The illegal motion, which occurred early in the third quarter, was not penalized and resulted in a short completion to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, drawing an animated reaction from Manning.

Kyle Shanahan is in his bag with CFL motions.

Peyton is livid pic.twitter.com/yA9z88XjQ0

— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) September 10, 2024

“That’s illegal procedure! What, are we in Canada? We in Canada? You can’t have two guys going forward!” He exclaimed, eliciting laughter from his ManningCast co-host and younger brother, Eli.

“How is that not called? Watch Mason. What running back would not like to get a running start?”

All backfield players in Canadian football, including running backs and slotbacks, are allowed unlimited and forward motion prior to the snap of the ball, which is colloquially referred to as the waggle. In American football, only one player is legally allowed to be in motion and he may not move forward.

More and more CFL-style motions have crept into the NFL game in recent years, led by coaches like 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan and his former protege Mike McDaniel with the Miami Dolphins. The strategy slipped by the officials on Monday and helped the Niners to a 32-19 victory over the New York Jets, with Mason rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Ironically, San Francisco’s erroneous waggle was not the most Canadian moment in the first week of the NFL season. On Friday night in Brazil, the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles briefly converted to the CFL game with 12 players each on the field, before being penalized for too many men.