The NFL is having referees crack down on so called Roughing the Passer penalties. There have been many such calls that have changed the momentum in games because the call was either wrong, or the defensive player lets up early on the quaterback because he is afraid of being penalized.

Watching the Bears, Vikings game right now, and Brian Urlacher was penalized for pushing Brad Johnson down. The ref said in the description of the play "54 flexed his arms and pushed the quarterback down". Are defensive players not allowed to do anything to them anymore??

What does everyone else things of this new rule, and how it is being enforced.

 

Apparently not!! Maybe they should just go to playing flag football instead of tackle.
I was watching a game last week (don't remember which one)where a defender came in and was in the air and unable to stop forward momentum. He knew there was going to be contact with the quarterback and pulled his arms back and up and his hand brushed the Qback's helmet(his head didn't even move) and was penalized for a "blow" to the head

 

Maybe they (QB's) should wear dresses??

 

Is it the quarterbacks complaining about the hits or is it the ref's that feel that they(not the players) should control the outcome of a game(look at the Giants game last week)

 

Like running a yellow/red light.........it's a timing thing.

 

Its BS, IMHO. If the QBs can't take getting hit, then they need to find another job.

I've seen more than a few times this season when a defense has a team stopped cold, only to get a BS "roughing" the passer call because they ran a strong blitz and weren't able to stop on a dime after the QB released the ball. I've seen a little more sanity as the season progressed, but the kind of junk they call is still nuts.

 

It's pretty simple really. Like everything else, it's about the money. Leagues have millions wrapped up in their QB's.

 

I think a lot of it has to do with vulnerability. With the exception of maybe punters and kickers, QBs are probably the most prone to take a cheap shot. I'm not saying I agree with the ticky-tac calls though. With the calls these NFL refs have been making lately, they should apply for the NBA. BTW, congrats to the 2006 SEC champion Florida Gators! GO GATORS!

 

I am waiting for full contact two-hand touch to start next year....

They are prone to a "cheap Shot", but some make it a point to flop like a fish when someone is near them. I saw a call this weekend where a DB is called for roughing, because the QB's foot was out of bounds. Not minding that the QB JUST stepped out and the DB was looking up at the chest...

 

I believe more stringently enforcing the "roughing the passer" rules has more to do with the owners than the refs. I think that we sometimes forget that the NFL, is above all else, including being a sport, a business and players are investments. When you spend that much money investing in a QB, which quality ones seem to be few and far between, you want to protect that investment. And given the size of the guys that we're seeing now on both the OL and the DL (I think I read an article on ESPN.com that the average lineman was well over 300lbs) you want make sure that any rule you have, that lessens the chance of one these moving mountains squashing your investment unnecessarily, is enforced.

Personally, I say football has always been a full contact sport and should remain that way. But, business is business.

 

Exactly ^^^^

Didn't all the 'protect the QB' crap start when Troy Aikman suffered all those concussions in the 90's?

That RTP call on Urlacher was ridiculous, but did anyone see the "crackback block" (Bears or Cowboy game?) where only one player was blocking another? That was one of the worst calls I've ever seen in professional sports. Like the ref completely blanked on what he was seeing.

 

Oops! I didn't see this post. So I amend my original post to read: I agree with RGT. . .

 

Oh yea, and it works more often than not! Like I said, ...NBA...

 

Nope, way before that. I recall when one of the rules came out and a linebacker said, "Maybe the quarterbacks should wear dresses". Then they interviewed Terry Bradshaw about the rule, he said, "I'm a football player, I expect to get hit".

 

Quarterbacks are holding onto the ball longer and longer making the late hit call more probable. IMO, the quarterbacks are no better than any other player and should be treated as such.