The NFL plans to talk about roughing-the-passer penalties amid outrage over two disputed calls in Week 5, an individual with direct information of the matter informed The Associated Press.
The particular person, talking on situation of anonymity as a result of the conversations are inside, mentioned adjustments to the rule will not be anticipated in the course of the season. The particular person additionally mentioned the league has not given officers a directive to emphasize roughing calls following Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion.
NFL homeowners will meet in New York subsequent week. The league’s Competition Committee — comprised of six workforce homeowners/executives and 4 head coaches — makes many of the suggestions for rule adjustments. Teams may propose rule adjustments to be voted on by homeowners, which require 24 votes to cross.
One thought, steered by Chiefs defensive deal with Chris Jones on Monday night time after he was flagged, may be to enable video evaluate of roughing calls.
Protecting quarterbacks is a precedence for homeowners, who pay huge bucks for the faces of their franchises. Twenty-five QBs are making no less than US$25 million this season.
The questionable name in opposition to Jones — the second in two days — practically value Kansas City in its 30-29 comeback victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chiefs had simply scored to trim their deficit to 17-7 when Jones stripped Raiders quarterback Derek Carr from behind simply earlier than halftime. The Pro Bowl defensive deal with landed on Carr whereas additionally developing with the ball — replays confirmed it was clearly unfastened and that Jones cleanly recovered — however referee Carl Cheffers threw a flag for roughing the passer.
“The quarterback is within the pocket and he is in a passing posture. He will get full safety of all of the elements of what we give the quarterback in a passing posture,” Cheffers informed a pool reporter after the sport. “My ruling was the defender landed on him with full physique weight. The quarterback is protected against being tackled with full physique weight.”
On Sunday, Falcons defensive deal with Grady Jarrett was flagged by referee Jerome Boger for a seemingly innocent sack on Tom Brady. The penalty gave the Buccaneers a primary down and allowed them to run out the clock on a 21-15 victory.
Boger made an analogous essential name late within the fourth quarter of the Ravens-Bills sport per week earlier on a play that many additionally thought did not to warrant a flag.
Boger referred to as one other borderline roughing penalty within the Falcons-Buccaneers sport when Vita Vea was pushed into Atlanta quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Roughing the passer is the one rule the place referees are instructed to err on the aspect of warning.
The NFL rulebook notes: “When doubtful a few roughness name or doubtlessly harmful tactic in opposition to the quarterback, the referee ought to at all times name roughing the passer.”
Jones, who has been flagged for roughing the passer 9 instances in his profession, has an answer.
“We’ve bought to give you the option to evaluate it within the sales space, you realize what I imply?” Jones mentioned. “I feel that is the following step for the NFL as a complete. If we’re going to name it a penalty at that top (of fee), then we have to give you the option to evaluate it and ensure, as a result of typically seems will be deceiving.”
The league already went down that street, making cross interference reviewable for one season after an egregious missed foul late within the fourth quarter within the 2019 NFC championship value the New Orleans Saints a visit to the Super Bowl.
The experiment failed miserably and the rule wasn’t thought-about the following 12 months.
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AP Sports Dave Skretta contributed