Florio re Rodgers injury...protect QBs even more than they already are

[Tony2046]

This is an easy fix. Allow the offense to have 12 men on the field. The QB isn't a real football player anyways.

 

[borg]

The rules already govern against the hit that took down Rogers.
It was a blatant late hit.
The defender chose to ignore the rule. Same with the ref.

 

[Kontradiction]

That would be an absolutely terrible idea. On that would force a significant portion of the viewing audience that still watches in spite of the fact that it's not the same game they grew up with away from it for good.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

It would be horrific for the league to cripple defenses even more by making additional protections/rule changes for mobile QBs...

That's really what this is about, mobile QBs that run around like a chicken with its head cut off until someone comes open

They're hard enough to defend as is, if they start handicapping defenders against these mobile qbs then get use to 50+ score games

 

[Nehalem]

The only way QBs could be more protected is if you had to pull a sock out of their waste to "tackle" them.

 

[InRodWeRust]

Funny what a contrast the media has had when they are all solemnly mourning the loss of Aaron Rodgers vs. when Brady went down in 2008. The media were like giddy school girls about how other teams now had a chance to make the Superbowl. And I can't imagine any tshirts like this being made for Aaron Rodgers:

 

[drewskie]

They shouldn't. That was a legal hit by Barr. Just because ARod couldn't take it like a man and had to utter profanity at Barr's way doesn't mean he is right. Its unfortunate he got injured but tackling is and always will be a part of football.

 

[JMC00]

Pretty much the same thing that took Garoppolo out last year, didn't hear Florio saying a peep then.

Which btw Rodgers is injured because instead of tucking his arm to his body he extended it to break his fall, probably was instinctive but maybe he should train himself to take a fall without extending his arm. Pro wrestlers are trained to do it, Steve Austin said wrestlers could fall pretty much anywhere their training to fall properly would kick in.

 

[TB_Helmet]

It would be horrific for the league to cripple defenses even more by making additional protections/rule changes for mobile QBs...

That's really what this is about, mobile QBs that run around like a chicken with its head cut off until someone comes open

They're hard enough to defend as is, if they start handicapping defenders against these mobile qbs then get use to 50+ score games

Yup, as you and someone on the other Rodgers thread said, if people are gonna (wrongly) put you in the GOAT conversation because your mobility gives you an advantage over a pocket passer, then it has to count against you when that mobility gets you hurt. I doubt you'll see people discuss with with Rodgers in the national press, but it's absolutely the case.

 

[BradyFTW!]

It would be horrific for the league to cripple defenses even more by making additional protections/rule changes for mobile QBs...

That's really what this is about, mobile QBs that run around like a chicken with its head cut off until someone comes open

They're hard enough to defend as is, if they start handicapping defenders against these mobile qbs then get use to 50+ score games

That's what gets me too. All year long, people celebrate Rodgers for running around, extending plays, taking unnecessary sacks, all that ****. It's part of what people love so much about him, and even part of why his supporters maintain he's better than Brady.

Well... this is the consequence of that. If you extend plays and take unnecessary hits, eventually you'll take the wrong hit. If you want your QB to stay healthy, encourage him to stay disciplined, avoid unnecessary hits, and learn to absorb contact and fall in a way that minimizes injury risk. ****, Brady's so good at it that he's 40, playing behind mediocre ta best OL, and is still on the field. It's easily the least celebrated element of Brady's repertoire, to the point that he's routinely criticized for it.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Yup, as you and someone on the other Rodgers thread said, if people are gonna (wrongly) put you in the GOAT conversation because your mobility gives you an advantage over a pocket passer, then it has to count against you when that mobility gets you hurt. I doubt you'll see people discuss with with Rodgers in the national press, but it's absolutely the case.

Every few years, people rush to declare that mobile QBs are the future because a couple young guys are setting the league on fire. Then, five years later, all those mobile guys--Luck, RG3, Newton, Mariota, Tannehill, Taylor being the latest iteration--are severely diminished and/or unable to stay on the field. Russell Wilson has stuck around as the clear exception in this last generation, but even in his case the decline is likely coming early unless he changes how he plays.

It'll happen again in a few more years, maybe Watson is the start of the next generation of this. All I know is I'd rather stick with pocket passers purely based on career arc and availability.

 

[Nikolai]

Something bad happens and everyone's thought process seems to go thusly these days:

1. Something could have prevented this
2. It can't be *insert person's name*'s fault
3. Something larger is to blame
4. We must fix this to stop this from happening ever again
5. What is the most dramatic step we can take RIGHT NOW

Give it time. People will calm down and forget about it, and then we can crack on like normal.

 

[SalemPats]

Link:

Aaron Rodgers injury may usher in a radical rules change, and other Week 6 thoughts

I respect Florio but making QBs non hittable after the ball is out (similar to kickers) is a terrible idea...and a couple of the comments show why.

He also got it wrong re Brady’s injury, that was Carson Palmer that prompted the rule change.

Rodgers takes more brutal hits than a Brady/Manning because he rolls out so much out of the pocket to make a play. Players like Rodgers, Romo, Wilson are moving out of the pocket to throw deep and typically have a lb or DE who are unblocked and take the hit to make the play. There is nothing you can do. Part of the game. We have the same thing with Gronk, he decides to run over guys, it's what makes him great, but means he's going to take some back

 

[Nehalem]

This is an easy fix. Allow the offense to have 12 men on the field. The QB isn't a real football player anyways.

Some kind of Designated Sackee? If you tackle them it counts a QB sack instead.

 

[chasa]

honestly, the only way you are going to protect QB's is if you institute a QB flag football rule.

All QB's have a couple of flags on their waste, if you pull them off it counts as a sack/them being down.

As long as QB's are fighting off tacklers, tacklers are going to hit them as hard as they can in order to make sure they go down, you can be soft with them anymore.

 

[XLIX]

The notion of giving QB's protection like kickers or punters is absurd. Those players have to follow a very set path and once they deviate from that path, they lose the protection of being a kicker/punter.

It was a rough break for Rodgers, both figuratively and literally. However, despite Rodgers being pissy about it, I saw it as a clean play. Not to mention, as others have pointed out, when you are known for being a scrambling QB who gets out of crazy jams while simultaneously humiliating opponents, you cannot blame a defender for following through.

 

[drewskie]

The notion of giving QB's protection like kickers or punters is absurd. Those players have to follow a very set path and once they deviate from that path, they lose the protection of being a kicker/punter.

It was a rough break for Rodgers, both figuratively and literally. However, despite Rodgers being pissy about it, I saw it as a clean play. Not to mention, as others have pointed out, when you are known for being a scrambling QB who gets out of crazy jams while simultaneously humiliating opponents, you cannot blame a defender for following through.

Yup, Rodgers has always given me the impression that he looks down on people by how he comments on things... for example he asked people to famously R-E-L-A.X when he could've simply said "its ok guys, we'll figure it out"... and same with his response to Barr's hit... great player no doubt and an incredible pure talent.. but like Lebron in basketball.. even if you can do more things than Jordan... Jordan's still the greatest because his play directly translated into results... over and over again.

 

[libra957]

Ah man, that awkward time when a 40 year old is more durable than a 33 year old.

 

[NashuaPats]

If he didn't put his arm out so far away from his body like Romo always did and just took the tackle he would have been fine.

QBs don't need more protection, some of them need to learn how to fall safely though.

I'm always amazed at how well Brady falls. It's like he learned how to be a stuntman at some point.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

The rules already govern against the hit that took down Rogers.
It was a blatant late hit.
The defender chose to ignore the rule. Same with the ref.

I wouldn't call it "blatant," but it is borderline. Rodgers has gotten rid of the ball and completed his throwing motion when he is hit and the defender has to take one more step before he hits him as he is finishing his throwing motion. On the other hand, the timing was split second and I don't know how he could have stopped his forward motion. In comparison, i's not like a hit yesterday (too much redzone, so I don't know which QB) where the QB was clearly just standing there and watching the play after making his throw when he is hit...

I don't see what more the League can do without doing what Florio suggests, which would dramatically change the game.

Once the QB becomes like a K and you can't hit him at all unless you're pushed into him, I don't know what Pass Rushers will do.

When you're trying to block a Kick, the target isn't the Kicker himself but a spot a couple of yards in front of the K as his foot contacts the ball. But when you're rushing the QB, the target is the QB...and those guys rushing are fast and big and the laws of physics take over: F = ma.

No easy answer from me.

The League either has to decided that the QB is so important that the game has to dramatically change to protect him or it's going to lose one or more of the marquee QB's, whom people pay their money or watch at home to see, to injury each season.