Many fans, the media, and observers believed that NFL officials were overly aggressive when it came to calling passers roughly. As the Competition Commission prepares to present its annual ownership proposals for rule changes, it seems likely that when it comes to calling the fairway rough, nothing will change.
Via NFL Network’s Jody Batista, a competition panel looked at 80 rough-and-tumble passer plays. The commission found that only three It was “questionable”.
only three? And only “questionable”?
The message is clear. They don’t change shit.
Sorry for being rude and rude. But the fact remains, as NFL Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent explained on ESPN in October, the league places a premium on keeping players healthy. If that means “questionable” tolerance for passerby calls, then so be it.
Again, the biggest problem with the rule—and one that is seldom mentioned outside the confines of this site and the weekday shows that bear its name—is that the rulebook specifically requires umpires to call out a passer if there is any doubt as to whether a passer has occurred.
Not everyone connected to the game is okay with doing nothing. In multiple reports, one team suggested making pass-through austerity auditable.
But even if it were subject to replay review, the criterion would be whether it was clear and obvious that the judgment in the field was wrong. Given that the rule expressly requires that the flag be thrown “when in doubt”, when will it be “plain and clear” that there is no doubt about whether roughing has occurred?
minimum? Nothing changes. The league would rather deal with periodic criticisms arising from phantom sabotage calls than risk not having players coming in from the get-go to play in high-profile games.
It’s all about keeping the midfielders healthy. And if that means informing players of a roughness charge if the roughness doesn’t happen, that’s a risk worth taking. Because it’s better than assuming the risks of players getting hit hard, and then getting hurt.
