It’s hard enough to get to a quarterback in the NFL. But actually sacking one and not getting penalized for it? That’s even tougher.
Week 5 of the NFL season saw a number of questionable roughing the passer penalties called, generating a good deal of criticism for officiating across the NFL. Tom Brady was the recipient of one on a hit from Grady Jarrett. Derek Carr benefitted from one when officials ruled that Kansas City’s Chris Jones fell on him.
The New England Patriots weren’t immune to it either. Linebacker Mack Wilson was dinged for a roughing call when he hit Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff in the chest. However, Wilson’s helmet came up and hit Goff’s. The contact appeared to be light, but officials deemed it flag-worthy. (You can watch the play here).
So, how hard is it to hit an NFL quarterback right now? Patriots coaches now answering that question is tricky.
“I’m gonna pull an Andy Reid and say you’re trying to get me fined,” Patriots linebackers coach Mayo said with a laugh, calling back to the Chiefs coach’s line after his team was burned by a questionable call Monday night.
Patriots defensive line coach Demarcus Covington said the team makes it a point of emphasis every year at the start of the season to coach up players on how they have to approach a hit on the quarterback in trying to avoid penalties. You can’t touch the helmet. You can’t land on them with your full body weight. You also can’t hit them below the knees.
On Sunday, the Patriots were burned by the helmet contact role. Jones got burned by the body weight element in Kansas City. Meanwhile, Jarrett appeared to avoid all of those issues, but got flagged anyway because he thought that the defensive tackle threw down Tom Brady “unnecessarily.”
It’s a lot for players to deal with in the heat of the action. But that’s the reality of being a defender in the NFL right now.
“The rules are what they are and that’s why we try to play within the rules and try to teach our guys the rules of the game,” Covington said. “We don’t make them. We can’t do anything about it and we just play to the rules of it.”
Mayo said that it’s tough to tackle quarterbacks in any area fo the game -- not just when they’re passing. The rise of athletic quarterbacks has put defenders in more situations where it’s unclear whether they’re trying to bring down a passer or a runner.
Many quarterbacks are protected. However, some guys -- like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson -- can make defenders look silly with their athleticism.
“Some of these quarterbacks, they could run around you. They can run you over – or they can slide,” Mayo said. “So it’s always difficult. It’s always difficult to deal with those type of things. It’s unfortunate. Some of those calls have gone on. But hey, that’s the rule of the land.”
The NFL saw an uptick in roughing calls after a scary scene for the Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in recent weeks. The Miami quarterback sustained a head injury, with many questioning why he was allowed to play. It’s unclear whether the uptick in roughing calls is a reaction to that. Regardless, the way NFL officials are calling things, it’s harder than ever to hit a quarterback right now without getting a penalty.
However, some change could be coming. ESPN reports that the league could consider reviewing its policy on roughing penalties after the outcry of this past week.
The Link LonkOctober 11, 2022 at 11:15PM
https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2022/10/how-hard-is-it-to-hit-an-nfl-qb-right-now-youre-trying-to-get-me-fined.html
How hard is it to hit an NFL QB right now? ‘You’re trying to get me fined’ - MassLive.com
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