NFL's changes to roughing the passer rule: Rob Ryan and Solomon Wilcots debate if it is a step too far?
Friday 28 September 2018 17:00, UK
"It's hard enough to get to the quarterback in this league, then they're not allowing players to make a tackle when they do."
Rob Ryan has coached for 17 years in the NFL, 13 of those as a defensive coordinator, and so knows a thing or two about the challenges posed in trying to take down an opposition quarterback. And that task has become infinitely harder, it seems, due to an adjustment to the 'roughing the passer' rule for the 2018 season.
The confusion surrounds Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 of the NFL rulebook, which now states: "A rushing defender is prohibited from committing such intimidating and punishing acts as 'stuffing' a passer into the ground or unnecessarily wrestling or driving him down" and "when tackling a passer who is in a defenseless posture, a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down or land on top of him with all or most of the defender's weight".
How has this rule change affected the league? We've asked Sky Sports pundits Ryan and Solomon Wilcots, himself a former NFL safety, for their take...
What has changed with the roughing the passer rule for 2018?
Wilcots: "This whole rule change was really born out of one specific play last year, that took Aaron Rodgers out for the 2017 season, when he was hit by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.
"It was one of those plays where the defender was not only attempting to tackle the quarterback but hit, lift and then dump him into the ground, putting his weight on top of the quarterback. Rodgers broke his collarbone as a result and the league wanted to legislate against that kind of roughness, so they put together the new language on the rule."
Why are players unhappy?
Wilcots: "The problem is, the officials have interpreted that language as anyone who falls on the quarterback, that's a foul. Well, as we know, any time you tackle someone, you tend to fall on them. That's where there is a huge disconnect in terms of what the intent of the rule was. They've gone too far, to the eye and to the mind of the casual NFL fan, as well as coaches and players."
Ryan: "That's the frustrating part, because everyone after the games - including the quarterbacks - are saying "they shouldn't have called that". Well, that's costing teams wins.
"It's hard enough to get to the quarterback in this league, with the illegal holding that goes on a lot of the time by offensive linemen - you have to have a great rush to get there, beat a man one on one - and then they're not allowing players to make a tackle when they do."
Is it taking tackling out of the game?
Wilcots: "Tackling is so important. Tackling the right way. I'm seeing way too many missed tackles, with defenders being reticent about hitting someone.
"Take a look at the play with Drew Brees coming out of the backfield to score a touchdown last week - he's not even known to be a running quarterback - and he does a spin move on two defenders down at the goal line. They didn't even touch him. Some of that is "oh, he's the quarterback, I don't know if I can hit him". The rules have played a role in bringing some of the intensity of the defensive players down a bit."
Ryan: It cost the Miami Dolphins a player, William Hayes, who tore his ACL trying his best to jump off the quarterback. This is a full-speed game, and you're asking them to stop mid-flow and try to avoid the person they're actually trying to tackle. It's too much to ask.
Why was the change in the rule implemented?
Ryan: "The intent of the rule goes back to protecting the quarterback. But you've still got to tackle him, you've still got to put your body on him. What the officials are missing the point on is when there is no dump there, when they're not driving the quarterback through the ground - like Barr did to Rodgers - but still calling it a foul."
Wilcots: "Even going into last year, we already had rules that meant the quarterback received special protections under certain circumstances. They're like a little china doll. If they are outside the pocket, they can throw the ball away and it won't be intentional grounding, they can slide and that means you can't hit them. If they're in the pocket, you can only hit the quarterback as low as the thigh and as high as the shoulder. But now they also don't want you to fall on them! How far do we go with these rules?
"Also, at the end of the day, if you look at Jimmy Garoppolo's injury last week, he could have protected himself. Step out of bounds. That was a non-contact injury, he planted his foot in the ground and his knee gave out. The quarterbacks have to do a better job of protecting themselves."
Does it make it trickier to coach within the framework of the new rules?
Ryan: "The best way to stop an offense is to impose your will on it. But, right now, if you keep slowing down guys, your defense suffers. That's what we're seeing. It's more of a passing league now than it has ever been.
"You can't touch a receiver past five yards, you can't throw a quarterback down, you can't lead with your head when you tackle anymore. Eventually, it becomes really hard to work within the framework of the rules. But you have to. You don't have to like the rules, but you have to play by them. Every coach in the league, especially on defense, is trying to emphasise the rules.
"The tough one with the quarterback though, is the interpretation is not consistent."
Does the league need to take another look at the roughing the passer rule?
Wilcots: "I think we can go too far, and change our game, if we start to extend these protections to beyond what's natural to the game. I do think they need to go back and have another discussion on the rule. Let's rein it in a little bit, go back to the genesis of it, understand why this rule was implemented and make sure that the way it is being interpreted correctly by officials on game day. Those two things need to line up."
Hear more from Rob and Solomon on the roughing the passer issue during our hour-long build-up to Sunday night's NFL triple-headers - we're live on Sky Sports Action from 5pm.
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