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THREE DOLLAR BILL, Y'ALL won the Throwdown.

rundmv

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Polk City , FL
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Too Many Rules Protecting NFL Quarterbacks

THREE DOLLAR BILL, Y'ALL said 01/28, 09:33 AM
I beleive the NFL QB's are protected to extensively with too many rules and this degrades the game sometimes.

rundmv said 01/28, 01:47 PM
The rules that are in place are there to protect the investments of the team and the enjoyment of the fans.

Fans, especially casual fans, enjoy seeing high-scoring, pass heavy games more than low-scoring, defensive battles. The proof is in the ratings. The highest rated NFL game in 2007 was the Patriots/Colts in November; a game featuring two of the best QBs playing today. The ten most watched games in 2007 featured either the Patriots, Cowboys, Saints or the Packers, which happen to be the four teams that led the passing category (regular season) for 2007.

As the face of the teams they represent and of the NFL itself, it is in the NFLs best interest to see that these guys remain upright for as many games as possible. Fewere people are likely to buy tickets to a Pats game if Brady is in street clothes, and advetisers aren't going to shell out the dough if they know the ratings are not going to be there. A QB who has a brilliant but short career will put fewer butts in the seats and sell fewer jerseys. And with revenue sharing spreading the profits from TV contracts, fewer marquee QBs is bad news for the whole league, even if your team favors the defensive side of the ball.

THREE DOLLAR BILL, Y'ALL said 01/28, 03:20 PM
I beleive that they are to protect the investments of the team, but i also think that if they are a player on the field they should be suceptable to getting hit just like everyone else. There are to many game changing penalties because someone falls and bumps a QB's knee. If you deliberatly put your head down and hit him helmet to helmet when you can clearly miss him, than of course you should be flagged.But other than that if he throws the ball and is standing there 2 seconds after the ball is thrown he can be counted as an active member on the field or a blocker and has every right to be contacted. It takes away from the game when you know you can bust through the lineand run someone over because of fear for a 15 yard penalty.

rundmv said 01/28, 05:55 PM
Rules are implemented for good reasons & usually address an existing problem that has hit a boiling point (horse collar tackle). The problem with receiving a game changing penalty for a questionable call lies not in the rule, but in the interpretation by the refs who misinterpret the intent of the action.

As a fan, how much do you want to see a Superbowl decided by attrition at the QB position? Do you really want to see Sorgi vs Cassell? In the purest sense, this would show how good a team's depth is and who is the better 'overall' team beyond a team's superstars, but do you really want to pay to see a team without its superstars? Imagine showing up for a U2 concert to find out that Bono won't be taking the stage.

QBs are not the only players on the field being protected by rules. Defensive lineman are protected from the chop block and many are seeking to eliminate the cut block altogether. Just because teams of the past got along fine without todays rules protecting players doesn't mean the rules aren't necessary in this era. Ask the players of the past if they would liked to have played under rules that could have prevented their careers from being cut short.

THREE DOLLAR BILL, Y'ALL said 01/29, 09:04 AM
They may not be the only ones protected, but they are the most protected. I watch alot of games with some ridiculous rounging the passer calls, I see alot of players being blocked and on the way to the ground being pushed into the QB's knees and then a flag getting thrown because of it. I watched a game not to long ago where tom brady as he was throwing the ball got hit and stummbeled, then nice and gracefully over exaggerated it and fell to the ground into a limp pile, now i got to give it to him it was great acting with the whole flop down and it got the penalty he wanted.

I just think too many games are decided by stupid penalties like roughing the passer because if you are tied close to the end of the game and the other team has the ball your number one priority is to come through the line full blast looking to kill and you hit the QB the wrong way and there goes the game for you.

rundmv said 01/29, 11:54 AM
As they are more exposed/at risk than the average player, they are afforded more protection from career-ending injuries. The rules are clear & sound. It is up to the referee to call the game fairly & consistently throughout the game. It is when the refs fail to do this that these 'subjective' calls have the potential to affect the game. But these penalties are no more subjective or game-changing than pass interference calls, holding calls, or infractions that are called away from the ball and have no bearing on the play itself. The rules are not the problem.

Without these rules, instead of the occasional penalty for rougher the passer, you would see linemen legally going for the knees of quarterbacks on every play & more QBs being carted off the field. Games w/ poor QB play limits the type of action that the ratings say the average viewer wants. In the end, the NFL's goal is to serve up games with marquee names that will generate ticket & jersey sales, while bringing in the largest TV audience. The NFL will not let revenue slip because of a problem that is so easily remedied by a few rules that not only benefit themselves and the fans, but the health of the players as well.

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Too Many Rules Protecting NFL Quarterbacks

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