NFL To Bring In New Rule Changes For Quarterback Protection?

Before the 2024 season, the NFL is ready to put out a proposal to amend the rules regarding intentional grounding.

NFL To Bring In New Rule Changes For Quarterback Protection?

Following requests for intentional grounding penalties during the 2023 season, the league plans to propose a rule change, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Pelissero continued, “the proposal would be aimed at reducing fouls and protecting QBs.”

Pelissero claims that there were 59 instances of intentional grounding last season.

According to the NFL rulebook, intentional grounding is called when “a passer, facing an imminent loss of yardage because of pressure from the defense, throws a forward pass without a realistic chance of completion. A realistic chance of completion is defined as a pass that is thrown in the direction of and lands in the vicinity of an originally eligible receiver.”

In order to avoid a grounding penalty under the current regulation, the quarterback must be outside of the tackle box in addition to the ball needing to cross the line of scrimmage.

It’s possible that removing the pocket restriction may assist quarterbacks in avoiding collisions that result in injuries. The NFL’s vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, stated on Thursday that the majority of quarterback injuries occur on plays that take place within the pocket and that this knowledge may necessitate a change to the grounding rule.

66 different quarterbacks started a game in the 2023 NFL season due to injuries, a situation that most likely contributed to another decline in scoring in the league.

Fans became enraged during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl 58 after referees failed to flag Patrick Mahomes for intentional grounding on a drive in the fourth quarter that knotted the game.

Mahomes, still in the pocket, tossed the ball over the NFL shield at middle with little over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. There were no receivers around. It was the perfect example of purposeful grounding, but no one labeled it.

The NFL’s quarterbacks are its biggest stars, highest paid athletes, and most influential players. Their productivity and health are best served by the league. Over the past ten years, the NFL has taken significant steps to strengthen their safeguards.

Penalty: For intentional grounding: loss of down and 10 yards from the previous spot; or loss of down at the spot of the foul; or
if the passer is in his end zone when the ball is thrown, it is a safety.

What is the difference between intentional grounding and throwing the ball away?

Football’s Intentional Grounding Explained – vIQtory Sports
As long as they are outside of the pocket and beyond the line of scrimmage, quarterbacks are free to toss the ball away. It will be deliberate grounding if the quarterback tosses the ball out of the pocket without any receivers in close proximity.

Why is quarterback spike not intentional grounding?

This rule is not applicable in the NFL, where a lawfully completed spike counts as a stop when it is executed with at least one second remaining on the clock. If a spike is made with the quarterback behind center right after the snap, it is not regarded as deliberate grounding. There is no fine imposed.

What qualifies as intentional grounding?

“A passer, facing an imminent loss of yardage because of pressure from the defense, throws a forward pass without a realistic chance of completion,” according to the NFL Rule Book, constitutes intentional grounding.

 

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