Are Quarterbacks Protected Too Much?

• Nate

  Was reading the article on ESPN about how the NFL is saying the hit that Favre took on that hurt his ankle should have been flagged. This leads me to the question "Are Quarterback Protected Too Much?" I understand the NFL's taking on protecting them but they are limiting defensive players on the approaches they can take at a QB.
• THE4RINGZ

  

  No. There are rules for what is and what is not a cheap hit on a QB. Obviously if those rules are broken then throw a flag, if not let them play.
  
  Interesting comments yesterday on this subject by Saints DC and his reference to the "remember me" hits.
• Fly4Fun

  

  The comments from the Saints DC show exactly why these rules are in place.
• Hb31187

  

  Yes
• thavoice

  I think for the most part the rule are ok.
  
  SOme officials seem to go overboard. Some seem to call even a touch to the head, or below the thighs, as a penalty.
  
  This is a QB league. They are the premier position player in sports today and not just football. They error on teh side of cautino..sometimes a lil too much and it gets frustrating.
  
  but I also see it downfield as well where a guy gets a penalty for helmet to helmet when the ballcarrier/receiver was just as much, or more, at fault.
• Laley23

  

  Yes. If you arent allowed to go at a QBs knee, then you should be able to go at ANY players knee. What is so much different about a QB vs a WR/RB/TE/etc.
• KnightXC1

  

  As someone said a few years ago, "Just put skirts on them". It has basically come down to a defender only being able to hit the QB in the chest or back because everywhere else is off limits. Football is a violent sport and injuries happen, it's just a part of the game. A defensive tackle falling down and pulling a QB down by the leg to make a tackle is a cheap hit. It's a defender trying to make a play for his team.
• Strapping Young Lad

  

  No. You should not be able to go after a Qb's knees. The difference is the Qb's are the origin of everything else that happens on the field in the NFL and we as fans want to get our money's worth when we watch the game.
  
  And the QB is pretty defensless, stand stationary in the pocket, looking downfield. When he leaves the pocket feell free to hit him low....
  
  I like the rule. The NFL has made many changes to protect defensless players, not just QB's, and this falls right in line w/ the rest of the rules....
• jpake1

  

  They're most definitely protected too much. Let's wait a couple years. I think you'll see people doing studies that show that game has helped the QB's out more. All one would have to do is look at the stats.
• thavoice

  Ya always wanna go and hit the QB, hit him hard, hit him often. That hasnt changed when you are playing a team that has a great QB. Especially in the NFL....a team needs to pass effectively.
  
  QB's are a bit more vulnerable in the pocket. If they are running and such you can tackle them like any other ball carrier..ya just never get the chance as they dont run often, or run out of bounds, or slide.
  
  althought it isnt the same exact thing...in the NBA the star players seem to get preferential treatment but it isnt writting in the rulebook like in the NFL.
• Strapping Young Lad

  

  The rule changes may be helping offensive production but the league is trying to improve players' health after they leave the game. That's the right move....
• Pick6

  

  yes. very much so.
• mallymal614

  You heard it here first. Quarterbacks will have flags on them 10 years from now so you can't tackle them.
• jpake1

  

  It's the NFL, you don't get to make a fuck load of money doing what you love and get the benefits of being healthy later in life unless you're very lucky. The game is what it is. They know what they're doing when they sign on the dotted line. I'm all for making the game more safe through equipment, and possibly rules. I don't like the fact that others benefit from it A LOT more and are getting a clear advantage.
• Nate

  jpake1 wrote: It's the NFL, you don't get to make a fuck load of money doing what you love and get the benefits of being healthy later in life unless you're very lucky. The game is what it is. They know what they're doing when they sign on the dotted line. I'm all for making the game more safe through equipment, and possibly rules. I don't like the fact that others benefit from it A LOT more and are getting a clear advantage.

  *coughTOMBRADYcough*
• Non

  

  Not sure how I feel about it.
  
  Because on one hand I like how the Saints have gone about it in the playoffs, getting a lot of extra hits on the quarterback and some might call it dirty or at least borderline dirty. I love that kind of football, though. Right on the edge. The Steelers have been that way many times in the past. You don't want to take that out of football.
  
  I don't think these rules have done that. They've made teams a little more aware but they're still going to play that style and deal with the consequences of penalties.
• Al Capone

  You can put alot of this on the owners. The qbs are usually the highest paid guys on the team. They're just protecting their investments.
• Non

  

  I would say the rules are ok how they are now.
  
  Because we just saw last week in an NFC Championship Game that the Saints could still play physical and hit Favre over and over and give him a game where he's in pain and drained at the end.
  
  If you can't do that anymore, that's when the league has failed.
• DeyDurkie5

  

  Al Capone wrote: You can put alot of this on the owners. The qbs are usually the highest paid guys on the team. They're just protecting their investments.

  false
• BlueDevil11

  

  I think that they are protected to much, but the officials are not consistent enough with their calls. One official will throw a flag if you touch the Qb's helmet, while another will watch it and say it was a clean play. The rule about hitting a Qb low is terrible. I saw many penalties this year where the OL pushed the defender onto the ground and into the Qb and got a penalty. How is that a penalty if the OL pushes a defender into the Qb?
• End of Line

  

  If your name is Tom Brady than yes.
  
  Matthew Stafford got rocked about 10x a game and hardly any calls.
• NNN

  

  I'll tackle the study this weekend of what exactly the result has been of offensive and defensive production since this rule was implemented. I don't think it will be truly noticeable and, if it is, I don't think it would be anywhere near the extent of the 1978 or 1993 rule changes.
  
  The NFL isn't stupid. They know who the most marketable players are and recognize that the last thing that they need is a star who everyone recognizes being taken out by some no-name defensive lineman.
  
  Funny thing is that for all the crying over "make them wear skirts!", I don't hear anyone complaining about the fact that crackback and chop blocks have been illegal for a number of years, and those actually are more of a football play than what most of the low shots on quarterbacks are. I figure the only two groups of people bitching about this rule are:
  1) Old guys for whom everything after the advent of facemasks is negative and unmanly, and
  2) Young guys who want to appear tougher than they are by parroting the old guys
  

  The_Crosby_Show wrote: If your name is Tom Brady than yes.
  
  Matthew Stafford got rocked about 10x a game and hardly any calls.

  There's a perfectly good explanation for this.
  
  Tom Brady is the biggest whiner in the NFL of the last 25 years, and I can't think of anyone who comes close.
• ts1227

  

  Strapping Young Lad wrote: No. You should not be able to go after a Qb's knees.

  Yeah, only those fat bastards on the line should be able to be taken out at the knees play, that's what they get for not being a quarterback... :dodgy:.
  
  QB's are football players. The rules should be consistent at all positions.