“Football Is a Collision Sport…”: Aaron Rodgers Makes His Stance on Roughing the Passer Rule Very Clear

The past few weeks saw referees make multiple ‘Roughing the passer’ calls. And these did not sit well with fans and players. There is no concrete definition of what constitutes ‘Roughing the passer’, nor can a team review a call. But with referees making controversial calls, some even becoming game-changing moments, the demand for making the foul a reviewable call is ever-increasing.

Various players opined about the controversy, including legendary quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Brady simply responded with a, “I don’t throw flags, I only throw tablets” joke. But Aaron Rodgers had some pretty intriguing points to add.

Also Read: Despite ‘Referees Being Partial Towards Tom Brady’ Myth, TB12 Has Actually Been on the Shockingly Low End of Roughing the Passer Penalties

Talking on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’, Rodgers had this to say when McAfee asks about the controversial calls, and if Roughing the passer calls should be reviewed. He said, “Look, they tried to do that with pass interference a couple of years ago. It’s tough because there’s a big subjective nature to that call, and I don’t know how much you can see objectivity in a slow-motion replay,”

“You know, look as a quarterback, there’re times where we feel like football players, and times where we don’t. What I mean by that is football is a collision sport. It’s a contact sport. And so when we’re involved in those collisions, there’s part of us – maybe it’s the kid in us who grew up you know not necessarily playing quarterback…….not just you know dropping back and throwing the ball and not getting not getting hit….. there’s something about that. I think we do enjoy, you know, we enjoy the contact”

Playing defense is tough, says Packers’ QB and maestro Aaron Rodgers

The NFL is a league where quarterbacks are some of the most prominent players. Their importance to the team and the franchise as a whole is immeasurable. A good quarterback can decide if a team wins or loses a game, just ask the Kansas City Chiefs. Therefore, the referees, and by extension, the NFL’s focus on protecting these players is understandable.

But what Rodgers said is also true. Too many restrictions around sacking a quarterback make it difficult to play as defense. “It is tough to play defense. You know, the strike zones for tacklers has totally changed. You can’t hit guys over the middle like you used to,” Rodgers said.

And for the referees, making a call within the split second of a foul is always a tense task. Added to that, the lack of a structure regarding what constitutes ‘Roughing the passer’ makes it difficult to maintain consistency while calling such fouls. Case in point: the Chiefs vs the Las Vegas Raiders game, wherein one sack was called for a foul, and the other wasn’t.

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The incident around Tua Tagovailoa’s injury is still fresh in the NFL community’s mind. It will be interesting to see how the changes in rules ensure player safety and the spirit of the game.