Roughing the passer (RTP) fouls have been much in the news this week. The NFL is to the point where there is a serious movement toward making such calls subject to replay review. So, I thought a discussion of RTP from a high school football perspective might be timely … because there are important differences between what you see on Friday nights and what plays out in the NFL.
The Rules
This is the rule under the National Federation Code:
“Defensive players must make a definite effort to avoid charging into a passer, who has thrown the ball from in or behind the neutral zone, after it is clear the ball has been thrown. No defensive player shall commit any illegal personal contact foul … against the passer.”
Also, under NF rules, a passer is, by definition, a “defenseless” player.
Differences in rules at the two levels have major implications for calling, and enforcing, roughing the passer penalties. Two principal ones
— The NFL provides certain protections while the passer is “in the pocket” vs. outside the pocket. The NF Code makes no such distinction, i.e., the passer gets the same degree of protection everywhere on the field. Nor does the NF Code have specific protections, such as those against “full body weight” and “below the knee” hits.
— In the NFL you can have roughing the passer even though no pass actually occurs (Witness the sack of Brady on Sunday, and the strip-sack by the Chiefs on Monday night. In each case, no pass was thrown, but both resulted in roughing penalties.) Under the NF Code, you can only rough a “passer,” i.e., a player who has thrown a legal forward pass.
What goes into calling RTP?
First and foremost, the only official on the field who is empowered to call roughing the passer is the Referee (R). It’s always a judgment. But there are some guidelines that can help.
— Many Rs use the “two step” rule to determine if a hit on the passer is late. If the defensive player contacts the QB after taking 2 or fewer steps following release of the pass, the contact is not late.
— Most Rs give a verbal warning that the pass has been thrown, such as “ball’s gone!” or the like. If I can recognize the pass is gone and verbalize it, by that time defensive players should be holding up rather than continuing toward the passer.
— I used the “sliding scale” approach when I was an R. The two variables were the nature of the contact, and the timing of the contact. The later the contact, the less force needed to draw a flag. Conversely, a hit that was only borderline late might well draw a flag if it was a particularly vicious hit.
— The passer’s status as a “defenseless” player is important. Forcible contact against a defenseless player above the shoulders will almost certainly draw a flag. It can also be a factor in whether a particular foul is deemed “flagrant,” and thereby cause for disqualification
Enforcement of RTP
Whether something is classified as roughing the passer or a run of the mill personal foul is significant for enforcement purposes, as RTP has some unique enforcement provisions.
— Any personal foul against the passer is treated as RTP. For example, if an onrushing defender grabs and twists the QB’s facemask before he actually throws the pass, it is enforced as RTP if the QB subsequently becomes a passer during the down.
— Penalties for live ball fouls by the defense during a pass play are usually enforced from the previous spot. For RTP, however, that 15 yd. penalty is added to yardage gained if the pass is completed. And, of course, RTP also carries an automatic 1st down.
Question
Bobref
Roughing the passer (RTP) fouls have been much in the news this week. The NFL is to the point where there is a serious movement toward making such calls subject to replay review. So, I thought a discussion of RTP from a high school football perspective might be timely … because there are important differences between what you see on Friday nights and what plays out in the NFL.
The Rules
This is the rule under the National Federation Code:
“Defensive players must make a definite effort to avoid charging into a passer, who has thrown the ball from in or behind the neutral zone, after it is clear the ball has been thrown. No defensive player shall commit any illegal personal contact foul … against the passer.”
Also, under NF rules, a passer is, by definition, a “defenseless” player.
Differences in rules at the two levels have major implications for calling, and enforcing, roughing the passer penalties. Two principal ones
— The NFL provides certain protections while the passer is “in the pocket” vs. outside the pocket. The NF Code makes no such distinction, i.e., the passer gets the same degree of protection everywhere on the field. Nor does the NF Code have specific protections, such as those against “full body weight” and “below the knee” hits.
— In the NFL you can have roughing the passer even though no pass actually occurs (Witness the sack of Brady on Sunday, and the strip-sack by the Chiefs on Monday night. In each case, no pass was thrown, but both resulted in roughing penalties.) Under the NF Code, you can only rough a “passer,” i.e., a player who has thrown a legal forward pass.
What goes into calling RTP?
First and foremost, the only official on the field who is empowered to call roughing the passer is the Referee (R). It’s always a judgment. But there are some guidelines that can help.
— Many Rs use the “two step” rule to determine if a hit on the passer is late. If the defensive player contacts the QB after taking 2 or fewer steps following release of the pass, the contact is not late.
— Most Rs give a verbal warning that the pass has been thrown, such as “ball’s gone!” or the like. If I can recognize the pass is gone and verbalize it, by that time defensive players should be holding up rather than continuing toward the passer.
— I used the “sliding scale” approach when I was an R. The two variables were the nature of the contact, and the timing of the contact. The later the contact, the less force needed to draw a flag. Conversely, a hit that was only borderline late might well draw a flag if it was a particularly vicious hit.
— The passer’s status as a “defenseless” player is important. Forcible contact against a defenseless player above the shoulders will almost certainly draw a flag. It can also be a factor in whether a particular foul is deemed “flagrant,” and thereby cause for disqualification
Enforcement of RTP
Whether something is classified as roughing the passer or a run of the mill personal foul is significant for enforcement purposes, as RTP has some unique enforcement provisions.
— Any personal foul against the passer is treated as RTP. For example, if an onrushing defender grabs and twists the QB’s facemask before he actually throws the pass, it is enforced as RTP if the QB subsequently becomes a passer during the down.
— Penalties for live ball fouls by the defense during a pass play are usually enforced from the previous spot. For RTP, however, that 15 yd. penalty is added to yardage gained if the pass is completed. And, of course, RTP also carries an automatic 1st down.
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