The New Pandemic: Roughing The Passer

[CuseJacket]

Thoughts on all of this from the last 3 days?

Seems like the rule is the problem, possibly compounded by poor enforcement of the rules in some cases?

 

[ibeattetris]

You need to add a trigger warning on this one. I’m pissed all over again about the call. Admittedly, ours was a lot closer than either of those NFL calls.

I honestly believe all automatic first down penalties should be reviewable. They completely change the game and should not be left up to fallible refs who continue to make bad calls. Football has too much variance already.

 

[Tech93]

All 3 calls sucked. The refs need to be censured for these calls. There’s no accountability when they make these calls and they have a huge impact on the outcome of games. Luckily we were able to overcome it.

 

[WreckinGT]

The call in our game was questionable. The call in the Raiders game was very questionable. The call in the Falcons game was one of the worst calls I have ever seen.

 

[ilovetheoption]

Buddy, this fight was lost long ago. The NFL decided that the way to the casual fan's buck was offense, and college blindly followed along. They have tweaked the game more and more in the offenses favor to the point where the balance of the game is broken.

If I want beautiful up and down action and games in the 60's and 70's, I'll watch basketball.

 

[Jazzchaz]

You need to add a trigger warning on this one. I’m pissed all over again about the call. Admittedly, ours was a lot closer than either of those NFL calls.

I honestly believe all automatic first down penalties should be reviewable. They completely change the game and should not be left up to fallible refs who continue to make bad calls. Football has too much variance already.

I don't think it was close at all.....unless I've missed a rule tweak. It would have been impossible for him to hold up hitting the QB, but is it a written rule now that you are supposed to 'skate' off the QB and avoid putting any weight on him? If so, then yeah, that's 'roughing' in 2022. But I've seen the Clemson QB going down twice this year get a pass off. I guess I just answered my own question. QB's create offense and and offense is $$$ in today's football. It's 'better' to let them escape than hitting them hard and knocking them out of the game.
Still, it's hard for me to accept that it was roughing on the Duke QB yet the low/high hit on Sims was football.

 

[TromboneJacket]

Watching some of those calls, I can’t help but wonder if the refs know what a “passer” is. If the ball hasn’t left the QB’s hands, then he’s a ball carrier, not a passer. Geez!

 

[ibeattetris]

I don't think it was close at all

I didn't think it was a close call, but the NFL ones aren't even comparable. Both NFL calls the QB never even threw the ball.

Trust me, I think the GT call was absolutely out of line, but the NFL ones were on another level.

Watching some of those calls, I can’t help but wonder if the refs know what a “passer” is. If the ball hasn’t left the QB’s hands, then he’s a ball carrier, not a passer. Geez!

I looked up the actual rule (NFL) earlier because I was having this discussion with my brother.

When tackling a passer who is in a defenseless posture (e.g., during or just after throwing a pass), 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. Instead, the defensive player must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player’s arms and not land on the passer with all or most of his body weight.

Brady was 100% not "during" a pass, and should not have been considered a passer. Carr's arm was moving back, but I think that is pretty weak, plus the defender braced the impact as he landed to make sure not all of his weight landed on the QB. Both of those were egregious beyond reason.

The NCAA rule applicable for our play:

Forcible contact that is avoidable after it is obvious the ball has left the passer’s hand.

Forcibly driving the passer to the ground and landing on the passer with action that punishes the player

There is 0% chance that that was "avoidable". Point of contact is also on the shoulder, removing any helmet to helmet concerns. I don't think the hit and landing warrant the "Forcibly driving the passer to the ground and landing on the passer" portion of the rule, but that might be what they are calling. I am pretty certain if all he does is hit the qb with no wrap up to the ground, they don't call it. I still think that hit is fine, and it is 100% incorrect to call roughing.

 

[TooTall]

So a qb can't be tackled and have the full weight of the tackler on top of him. Yet, wr and rb can be at the bottom of a 7 man pile up and no penalty? Whats the difference?

 

[MWBATL]

So a qb can't be tackled and have the full weight of the tackler on top of him. Yet, wr and rb can be at the bottom of a 7 man pile up and no penalty? Whats the difference?

The QB gets paid more. A LOT more.

 

[LongforDodd]

Thoughts on all of this from the last 3 days?

Seems like the rule is the problem, possibly compounded by poor enforcement of the rules in some cases?

I saw ours live. Was staring right at it from the Upper East. In real time, it seemed bogus. If the penalty was for dropping your weight, intentionally, onto the QB I think I can see that.

I saw the Falcons "live" on TV. At first blush, I also thought it was bogus. But after watching a replay at half-speed I think Jarrett applied a little hot sauce while Brady was a foot from the ground. I still think that call was ****.

 

[TooTall]

The QB gets paid more. A LOT more.

What if its a lower tier qb? Does that change the penalty? I have to agree with what Aikman said. Take the dresses off.

 

[LargeFO]

The call in our game was questionable. The call in the Raiders game was very questionable. The call in the Falcons game was one of the worst calls I have ever seen.

Way beyond questionable.

 

[MidtownJacket]

Our call was frustrating but the next day after rewatching it, it seemed to me to be a 50/50 call where I’d be unaffected for it to have happened to two random teams I didn’t follow.

The falcons one was pretty terrible, and had the air of “protect the brady” to me as well.

 

[bobongo]

There is 0% chance that that was "avoidable". Point of contact is also on the shoulder, removing any helmet to helmet concerns. I don't think the hit and landing warrant the "Forcibly driving the passer to the ground and landing on the passer" portion of the rule, but that might be what they are calling. I am pretty certain if all he does is hit the qb with no wrap up to the ground, they don't call it. I still think that hit is fine, and it is 100% incorrect to call roughing.

In our case, I didn't think the laws of physics as I understand them allowed the rusher not to land on the QB.

 

[ibeattetris]

But after watching a replay at half-speed I think Jarrett applied a little hot sauce while Brady was a foot from the ground.

He wasn’t a passer though. He was someone trying to avoid a sack and should be considered a runner. He was not in a throwing motion or position when the sack was initiated.

 

[UgaBlows]

Refs don’t need to inject themselves into the end of a game, let things play out unless the foul is egregious.

 

[Root4GT]

He wasn’t a passer though. He was someone trying to avoid a sack and should be considered a runner. He was not in a throwing motion or position when the sack was initiated.

Watch the replay in the OP's post. He just released the pass when he was tackled. He was not trying to avoid the #32, it looks like he did not even see #32.

 

[Root4GT]

Refs don’t need to inject themselves into the end of a game, let things play out unless the foul is egregious.

So refs should call plays differently in the 4th quarter than they d in the 1st quarter? Is that what you are saying?

 

[ibeattetris]

Watch the replay in the OP's post. He just released the pass when he was tackled. He was not trying to avoid the #32, it looks like he did not even see #32.

We were discussing the Brady play.