Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Goodman
Please explain what you mean by "even if they are not late but committed in the act of passing".
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According to 9.4.4 last sentence on Roughing the passer "No defensive player shall commit any illegal personal contact foul listed in 9.4.3 against the passer."
In other words, roughing has always been simply charging late into the passer with an otherwise legal or illegal hit (after he has thrown it) when the contact could have been avoided. That's a paraphrase of 9.4.4.
Let's say B55 initiates illegal helmet contact on the passer just as he throws it. The hit is not late but is still one of those PF listed in 9.4.3. So, we now call that "roughing" even though it was not late. Previously we would have simply flagged it as a PF/illegal helmet contact and step off 15 yards. But now we enforce it as a roughing penalty with an auto first down. If pass is completed beyond the LOS the Roughing is tacked on/enforced from the end of the run. If pass incomplete it is enforced from Previous spot and in both cases an auto first down.
Redding Study guide 2015 page 46 "Illegal personal contact fouls against the passer (helmet contact, pulling the face mask, etc) committed before it is clear that the ball has been thrown, are roughing fouls."
RSG example 5-29 "As A12 releases a forward pass he is struck in the chest by B52 who had lowered his head and led with his helmet. RULING: Although the contact was before it was clear that the ball had been thrown, the foul is for roughing the passer."