Roughing the Passer

[waltjp]

How tight do you call this? I had a QB get hit very slightly in the head yesterday after throwing a pass. As I saw it the defender pulled up to avoid hitting the QB head on but as he passed he waved his arm and hit him in the helmet.

It wasn't a hard or flagrant hit by any means but I thought it could have been averted altogether. Team B coach goes nuts, screaming at me, "I can see the flag if it was a vicious hit but he only touched him."

I resisted the temptation to reply to the coach with my usual sarcastic style.

[MJT]

Originally posted by waltjp
How tight do you call this? I had a QB get hit very slightly in the head yesterday after throwing a pass. As I saw it the defender pulled up to avoid hitting the QB head on but as he passed he waved his arm and hit him in the helmet.

It wasn't a hard or flagrant hit by any means but I thought it could have been averted altogether. Team B coach goes nuts, screaming at me, "I can see the flag if it was a vicious hit but he only touched him."

I resisted the temptation to reply to the coach with my usual sarcastic style.

It wouldn't take much contact if it was to the head for me to have a RTP. It would have to be a "see it to call it" type of play, but in general contact to the head of the QB will have a flag. I give a good chat to the captains about hitting the QB and in the head would almost always cross that line if there must any force behind the contact.

[cowbyfan1]

I would have to see it. If he clocks him then yes, if it just a brush then no, especially if the defender is trying to hold up.

[Forksref]

Originally posted by waltjp
How tight do you call this? I had a QB get hit very slightly in the head yesterday after throwing a pass. As I saw it the defender pulled up to avoid hitting the QB head on but as he passed he waved his arm and hit him in the helmet.

It wasn't a hard or flagrant hit by any means but I thought it could have been averted altogether. Team B coach goes nuts, screaming at me, "I can see the flag if it was a vicious hit but he only touched him."

I resisted the temptation to reply to the coach with my usual sarcastic style.

I had one on Friday night. Contact to the helmet with the hand. It was a follow-through of trying to bat the pass. It was not late but I flagged it because the helmet was hit. Contact to the helmet will almost always get a flag in my book.

I also had helmet to helmet contact that was pretty hard. That got a PF flag. When it's a safety issue, I lean towards protecting the players.

[waltjp]

Originally posted by cowbyfan1
I would have to see it. If he clocks him then yes, if it just a brush then no, especially if the defender is trying to hold up.

In my play the defender didn't do much more than lightly hit the helmet. I didn't throw the flag because of the severity of the hit, rather than because there was no need to touch the QB at all. The pass was well gone and the defender had turned to run by the QB. As he did so he reached out and deliberately hit him in the helmet. It just looked like a punk thing to do.

[mcrowder]

Lightly hit, and tried to avoid? I think I would not have flagged this. Hard contact should be a foul regardless of intent, and any contact to the head should be a foul if there IS intent... but no hard contact AND no intent = no foul.

Originally posted by waltjp

In my play the defender didn't do much more than lightly hit the helmet. I didn't throw the flag because of the severity of the hit, rather than because there was no need to touch the QB at all. The pass was well gone and the defender had turned to run by the QB. As he did so he reached out and deliberately hit him in the helmet. It just looked like a punk thing to do.

Maybe no flag this time but I would let B know I am watching him.