Reports: NFL Considering Ejections For Roughing The Passer Penalties
The NFL is exploring ejections for hits to defenseless players and roughing the passer penalties, but league official Troy Vincent raised concern about how such rules would be applied.
Reports: NFL Considering Ejections For Roughing The Passer Penalties
Vincent, a former player, said at the NFL owners meetings Wednesday that the ejections were part of a discussion to include roughing the passer calls among reviewable plays.
“The officials, I must say, have been pretty consistent with and very accurate when making that call,” said Vincent, the league’s vice president of football operations. “But they’re human.”
I don’t currently trust the NFL to correctly call roughing the passer, let alone whether it should be an ejection or not.
The problem is that it’s hard to define. Not all big hits are illegal. Not all hits to the head/lower body are equal in severity. Where do you draw the line? https://t.co/TBdAi1Y4eT
— John Whiticar (@Whiticar) December 14, 2022
It’s a personal foul and there’s a ton of fouls in that category,” Vincent said. “Where does it end? Again, the most impactful play in football is pass interference. Now we start including the personal foul. But that’s why we’ll discuss it. I’ll be looking forward to this discussion.”
Vincent added that any modifications wouldn’t be made until the offseason and that they would have to be considered against the length of the games and other things.
NFL Discussing Big Rule Change: Roughing the passer calls and defenseless hits could be reviewable or an automatic ejection; vote would happen in March https://t.co/TNKnfKQKBX
— FootBasket™.com (@FootBasket) December 14, 2022
When asked if it would be feasible for the NFL to adopt a rule like the targeting call in college football, Vincent seemed doubtful. He claimed that rather than as someone on the competition committee who was debating a rule change, he was speaking more as a former athlete.
Vincent argued that rather than making decisions on calls that have already been made, the replay center should continue to offer assistance.
i think it should be noted that the roughing the passer penalty won’t be picked up if the play during the review is deemed not roughing the passer. but that players can now be ejected if a play is deemed too bad. @KingOfPhinland am i reading this right? https://t.co/W0U97bnXT9
— Patrick Cook (@plaiiin_pat) December 14, 2022
Pass interference was only subject to review for one season before the NFL changed its mind.
“I think chasing perfection is a dangerous place to go for the National Football League and, frankly, for officiating,” Vincent said. “And that’s what happens with the cameras, replay. You begin chasing perfection, which is not a good place for the game.”
This would be significant: Troy Vincent says there was discussion among owners today about whether a hit on a QB or other defenseless player should 1) Be reviewable; and/or 2) Be an automatic ejection.
Any change would go through the normal process and vote at the March meeting.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 14, 2022
Many have voiced their frustrations with roughing the passer specifically, as it cost the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the season when Grady Jarrett was flagged on a sack of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, which was called a personal foul. The Bucs just ran out the clock from there for the win.
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