The New Orleans Saints haven't really been victimized by a phantom roughing the passer call yet this season, but it really just feels like a matter of time.
It was a hot topic this weekend with highly questionable calls going against the Falcons' Grady Jarrett and Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones in big moments.
As always, the obvious question becomes: How exactly are you supposed to sack a quarterback in today's NFL?
"I don't know," Saints DE Cam Jordan said. "After this last week's penalties have been thrown ... I think you have to put a pillow down, read them a bedtime story. Ask them if it's okay for him to lay him down on the ground first. So, I don't know. I think that's something that we have to we have to address."
Former Saints coach Sean Payton -- formerly a member of the league's Competition Committee -- even took to Twitter to roast the roughing call on Jones.
The protections of the quarterback are nothing new in the NFL. As far back as 2009 you could point to Brady being protected above all others, with a low hit that ended his season in Week 1 resulting in a rule change that prevented players from hitting quarterbacks low. More recently the rule was updated to disallow any hits to the head or neck area, regardless of intent. The Saints were victimized on such a call against the Titans last year, when Kaden Elliss was flagged for an illegal hit on Ryan Tannehill when he pushed the QB in the upper back.
Players complained then, but they adjusted. The current rule, however, disallows the use of body weight in a tackle, and often seems impossible to avoid. Current Saints DE Kentavius Street was a member of the San Francisco 49ers when he was flagged for such a tackle on Drew Brees that resulted in cracked ribs. It's the type of hit the NFL is trying to avoid, but it's often easier said than done.
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In Jones' case, he had actually knocked the ball from QB Derek Carr's hands and was attempting to recover it -- which he did successfully -- as he went down on the QB. The flag not only granted 15 yards, it also negated the turnover, but the Chiefs ultimately won 30-29. The same thing happened to the Saints on the play against Tannehill, with the flag negating an interception by Marcus Williams after a legal hit. The Saints went on to lose that game 23-21. In Jarrett's case, the Falcons lost a close game to the Bucs
Jordan, veiling frustration with humor as he does so often, pointed to apologies as a method that seems to help. Apologize to the QB after every hit, then go apologize to the ref. He says he's on Duolingo trying to learn how to apologize in multiple languages. Other methods he suggests:
- Bring a blanket
- Caress the QB ever-so-gently
- Sing a lullaby
"At this point, it might be a part of the game. I think that's what they're telling us," Jordan said. "Because I mean, when you have a clean when you know like Grady Jarrett did and he goes for a side wraparound tackle. It's not like it wasn't malicious, vicious. It wasn't of any intent other than the get a quarterback down. Flag happens. How do you how correct that?"
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