New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - The Advocate Sean Payton: NFL's controversial roughing the passer emphasis needs 'consistency from crew to crew'

BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | JERICKSON@THEADVOCATE.COM SEP 26, 2018 - 5:15 PM

The NFL finds itself under fire early in the regular season for its emphasis on roughing the passer, which has produced 34 flags through the first three weeks of this season, as opposed to 16 a year ago.

Of those calls, the most controversial have been flags for a pass rusher landing with his body weight on the quarterback — a rule that has been on the books since the mid-1990s but has been emphasized this season.

Flags for two controversial hits by Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews, including one that cost the Packers a game-sealing interception against Minnesota, have been at the forefront of the uproar, and the NFL's competition committee is reportedly scheduled to speak about the rule on a conference call next week.

Saints coach Sean Payton is part of the NFL's competition committee, and he acknowledged that some of the calls have failed to understand the point of emphasis.

"The point of emphasis in the offseason was very simple, and that was avoiding the player 'intentionally' placing all the weight on the quarterback," Payton said, emphasizing "intentionally." "Have we seen some that have been flagged that should not have been? Absolutely."

The enforcement of this point of emphasis has been anything but simple. While Matthews was flagged Sunday for a hit that looked like a form tackle, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was not flagged for a similar hit while sacking Matt Ryan minutes later on a play that several Saints players thought might draw a flag.

Even Jordan acknowledged he was worried about the hit in the moment, posting afterward via Twitter: "I hopped up so fast, Thank God there wasn't a penalty."

"I don't know how you're asking us to play the most violent game known to man, asking me to fight off a 300-pound man in front of me, and then once I do that, somehow contort my body and not put most of or all of my body weight on somebody," defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said. "I don't know how I'm supposed to do that math in that split second."

Even the quarterbacks — who stand to benefit most from the rule — have pushed back against it.

Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a broken collarbone last season when Minnesota's Anthony Barr landed on him, told reporters that a hit he took from Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks in Week 2 should not have been flagged. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger told ESPN he cannot imagine fans at home enjoying what they're watching in the pass rush.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees agrees with his contemporaries.

"Obviously, the main rule here’s protecting the quarterback in the pocket, right?" Brees said. "Listen, all those things benefit me, benefit the quarterback, but I will say just from what I've seen in regards to what's been called now, I think it would be hard to be a defensive player right now."

The rules might have even made it more dangerous for the game's best pass rushers.

Miami defensive lineman William Hayes suffered a torn ACL on Sunday while sacking Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, and the veteran pass rusher believes he tore the ligament because he tried to slow up and adjust the way he made contact with Carr.

If the NFL's goal is to keep its stars on the field, there are no bigger stars than the quarterbacks — but players like Houston defensive end J.J. Watt, Denver linebacker Von Miller and Chicago defensive end Khalil Mack come close.

"William Hayes got hurt trying to abide by the rules," Rankins said. "It may not take William Hayes getting hurt for something to change. As much as I don't want to say this or as much as I don't want it to happen, if one of the marquee guys were to go down trying to avoid putting most or all of his body weight on someone, then I think, at that point, maybe they would do something."

Payton said he believes the problem is less about the point of emphasis on the rule itself, and more with the way the rule has been enforced.

As the Matthews and Jordan sacks illustrated, a play that might be flagged and extend a drive in one game is a drive-killing sack in another.

"I think it's more about the consistency from crew to crew, and the message from crew to crew, to get that on the same page," Payton said. "That's with any new rule, but I think that's the biggest challenge."

For pass rushers whose livelihood depends on getting to the quarterback, the bigger challenge is trying to do their job without costing themselves 15 yards and a first down — not to mention money. A fine for roughing the passer checks in at $20,054, one of the heaviest fines the NFL dishes out for on-field play.

"If you're going to tackle a guy like Roethlisberger or Cam Newton or something like that, you've got to give it all you can to get those guys down, so is that going to be deemed as too much?" Brees said. "Some of those hits I look at and say, 'Man, that was just a good tackle. That was just a good, hard-nosed football play.’ ”

Plays that used to earn Pro Bowl nods instead of penalties.