NFL's Can't Touch the Quarterback Crisis

The NFL has a crisis on its hands.

I wonder if they know it.

The Cullen Jenkins “roughing the passer” penalty in Monday’s Packer-Seahawk game was an affront to football itself. It was a slap in the face, for every fan who has ever plunked his fat ass down for 3 hours to enjoy the NFL’s neatly packaged television violence.

These calls, are ruining the game.

I repeat: RUINING the game.

If you think this is an exaggeration, or perhaps too extreme, I urge you to reconsider.

Ruin.

Last week alone, we had the Kiawanuka debacle - now clearly identified as a case of a defender in deathly fear of a crushing 15 yard penalty for simply making a football play. Plus a key INT by Carolina wiped out because Julius Peppers made a typical peppers play – only to have it deemed “too rough.”

In short, outcomes of games are being DETERMINED by utterly laughable roughing the passer penalties. Remember when Justin Smith sacked Bruce Gradkowski on what would have been a virtual game-ender? Gradkowski had the ball at the time, and Smith didn’t hit him high, nor low, as prohibited.

Right now, where you can legally strike a quarterback is an area slightly smaller than your typical AL strike zone.

Now, here’s what’s funny – or sad – depending on how much you actually care about the league’s integrity. Look at all the QBs who have been hurt this year. How many resulted from hits that are now being flagged?

Donovan McNabb – No penalty. Fluke injury.
Ben Rothlisberger – Clean sandwich, severe concussion.
Chris Simms – Ruptured spleen, no idea how it happened.
Brett Favre – Bruised elbow, clean hit.
Matt Hasselback – Knocked out with a regular hit to his knee.
Trent Green – Happened so quick, you couldn’t even see how it happened.

So what good has the league’s new hyper-strict rules done? Pretty much nothing. QBs get hurt, like any other position. And the game must go on. Surely, there’s room for protecting them. Obvious helmet-on-helmet shots. Pre-meditated knee shots. Throw downs that occur after the whistle.

Go ahead, keep flagging those.

But anytime a QB runs, he’s fair game. Sorry. If you want protection, you need to be willing to accept a sack. It must be a two way street. Plays like the one Campbell made while getting hit by Peppers, are big plays for the offense when they work – a QB on the move, making a throw downfield. You can’t reel in defensive players like that.

If nothing else, take away the 15 yard penalty aspect of these hits with the auto-first down. Make a “Roughness 1” and “Roughness 2” designation like the NBA does on flagrant fouls. Hits like Cullen Jenkins can be a “Roughness 1” worth just 5 yards, and no auto-first down.

Okay, want another solution: make roughness calls reviewable. No calls could better benefit from a second look in slow motion than these (and pass interference). If you had this, certainly Jenkins’ hit would be over-turned. The timing and intent was clear that he was making a football play, and still tried to “stop” his hit once the ball was gone.

Or perhaps don’t make roughness a penalty at all. Make it a fineable violation. Fines will still deter players from taking obvious cheap shots. At least that way, games aren’t won and lost on these calls, and the fraying integrity of NFL games is upheld at least a little bit.

AND NOW, YOUR PIC O' THE DAY!!

The great George Gimpel as a young radio Dee-Jay. You may know him as, "George Michael" from NBC 4 in D.C. fame, along with the Sports Machine.