The NFL plans to discuss - but not change - 'roughing the passer' penalties, a source has told the Associated Press; former NFL quarterback Chris Simms: "They're ruining the sport. Every week right now we're seeing plays that dictate football games... and 'Johnny Referee' steps in"
Wednesday 19 October 2022 17:14, UK
'Roughing the passer' penalty calls have become a hot topic in the NFL after multiple instances in Week Five games, including two calls in particular that have come in for criticism - one involving 45-year-old, seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
Protecting quarterbacks is a priority for the NFL, whose owners pay big money to the players who represent the face of their franchise. Twenty-five QBs are making at least $25 million this season.
As a result, roughing the passer penalties are called when an on-field official deems a defensive player to have made illegal contact with the quarterback. The NFL rulebook also notes: "When in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactic against the quarterback, the referee should always call roughing the passer."
Per NFL Research, there have been 27 flags for roughing the passer though the first five weeks of the 2022 season, with 25 accepted. In 2021, there were 51 called and 48 accepted by the same stage.
The numbers might be down, but the two controversial flags from this week have brought roughing the passer calls under the microscope again.
On Sunday, Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was flagged for a seemingly harmless sack on Brady. Jarrett's tackled should have forced a fourth down and allowed Atlanta to get the ball back with just under three minutes remaining. Instead, the penalty gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a fresh set of downs and allowed them to run out the clock on their way to a 21-15 victory.
Jarrett said on Tuesday: "Just looking back on it, I'm still kind of left clueless on what I'm expected to do in that situation.
"I'm not saying that it cost us the game, but it cost us an opportunity to win the game and if it's costing people games, it's going to cost people livelihoods, going to cost people opportunities.
"Obviously this happened to us, the Falcons, but forget all that, it's about the sport. People watch us to be entertained and then when you do it the right way, that's what makes it so frustrating, because you did follow the rules and you didn't do anything bad.
"Let's give the game what the game is owed, and that's the best product we can put on the field."
On Monday night, the Kansas City Chiefs had just scored to trim their deficit to 17-7 against the Las Vegas Raiders when defensive lineman Chris Jones stripped quarterback Derek Carr from behind just before half-time. Jones landed on Carr while also coming up with the loose ball, but the flag was thrown and so the turnover was missed.
Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms said on NBC's Pro Football Talk (Sky Sports NFL, weekdays, 6pm): "The NFL has got to step in here. We have a real problem.
"They're ruining the sport. Every week right now we're seeing plays that dictate football games - big plays - and 'Johnny Referee' steps in.
"Chris Jones has possession of the football, it's wrong in all aspects. We saw it of course with Brady too.
"We had this in Weeks One, Two and Three as well… it's just that in the last week, we've had them in the biggest moments of games. Now people are starting to go 'something is wrong here'.
"It's not fair. It's not a good watch and it turns me off as a fan of the sport. It's a real problem.
"You're taking away a big aspect of the [defense's] game, which is physicality and making the quarterback feel uncomfortable."
In response to the outrage since, the NFL plans to discuss - but not change - roughing the passer penalties, a person with direct knowledge of the matter has told the Associated Press.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the conversations are internal, said changes to the rule are not expected during the season. The person also said the league has not given officials a directive to emphasise roughing calls following Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's concussion.
Tagovailoa's concussion suffered in their Week Four loss to the Cincinnati Bengals drew criticism after he'd been allowed to play despite having seemingly been concussed only four days prior in the team's win over the Buffalo Bills.
Chiefs defender Jones, who was flagged for the controversial roughing the passer penalty against Carr on Monday night, has suggested a solution.
"We've got to be able to review it in the booth," he said after the game. "I think that's the next step for the NFL as a whole.
"If we're going to call it a penalty at that high (of rate), then we've got to be able to review it and make sure, because sometimes looks can be deceiving."
That change is unlikely, however, with the NFL having already gone down that road when making pass interference penalties reviewable for one season after an egregious missed foul late in the fourth quarter of the NFC championship in January 2019 cost the New Orleans Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.
The experiment failed and the rule wasn't considered again for the following season.
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