QB's wearing skirts??

[cashpath]

Credit to Nick Eatman of Dallascowboys.com for this article

Every year, the NFL institutes rule changes, and every year it's getting more and more difficult, it seems, to knock down the quarterback.

You can't hit him low. You can't hit him high. And you sure can't get come anywhere close to hitting him in the head, much less bump noggins while he's trying to pass.

Of course not. The quarterbacks are poster boys for the NFL. And the league certainly doesn't want to risk losing any of their premier players to injury.

But when a quarterback, one the rules have been written to protect, says this is getting ridiculous, then it just must be getting ridiculous.

When Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde entered the league back in 1987, he said the NFL had yet to establish these overprotective rules for the quarterbacks. And that is one reason he doesn't necessarily agree with how the NFL is pampering its quarterbacks more than ever.

"These guys, they're not allowed to hit the quarterback from the waist down," Testaverde said of defensive players. "They're not allowed to hit the quarterback from the head up. They got a small target. They've got guys blocking them and they're trying to get off their blocks and get to the quarterback at full speed. Quarterbacks are moving, ducking, whatever. It's tough.

"I played before all these rules came into effect. Sometimes you gotta let the quarterback wear pants, too."

And no, Testaverde is not suggesting he wears a skirt every Sunday, but the 18-year veteran would simply like to see quarterbacks treated more like every other player out there wearing pads.

The basis of Testaverde's comments are sparked from Sunday's 26-10 loss to the Giants, where he noticed the Cowboys defense having trouble adapting to this officiating crew's interpretation of the rulebook.

The Giants benefited from both a personal foul on defensive end Greg Ellis, who was called for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New York quarterback Kurt Warner, and then a major face-masking penalty on Ellis, whose tug on Warner's mask extended the Giants first touchdown drive.

From the sidelines, Testaverde has seen these calls go against the Cowboys all season long. Already, the Cowboys had been called for two other personal fouls stemming from contact with the quarterback, both assessed for apparent hits to the head. Linebacker Bradie James was flagged for contacting Cleveland quarterback Jeff Garcia's facemask with his own, extending a drive that resulted in a field goal.

And against the Redskins, defensive end Marcellus Wiley was called for hitting quarterback Mark Brunell in the head on what would've been a fourth-down incompletion. Instead, the Redskins regained possession after the penalty, and scored a third-quarter touchdown to keep them in the game.

At this rate, we're heading towards putting the quarterbacks in those red practice jerseys during games.

"Hey guys, tackle everyone else like normal, but this guy right here, it's two-hand touch, OK?"

Taking a glance at the official rule book, there is an outlined section on protecting the passer. It first explains what's a pass and not a fumble, getting into the "Tuck Rule," which could be an entirely separate debate in itself. Then comes the part for illegal hits on the quarterback.

The rules state: "No defensive player may run into a passer of a legal forward pass after the ball has left his hand." The rule adds the referees must then make a judgment decision on whether the defensive player could've stopped his momentum.

While that one is up to the officials to decide, although it seems quarterbacks are certainly getting the benefit of the doubt lately, the next interpretation of the rules doesn't require much judgment.

"No defensive player may hit the quarterback in the head, face or neck."

No judgment needed there. It doesn't matter what happens, accidental or not. The refs are looking at the quarterback's head, and if they detect contact of any kind - penalty.

"I understand their position," Testaverde said of the league and its decision to crack down on quarterback hits. "If you've got successful quarterbacks and exciting offenses, that's what people pay the money for. That's why our game is so popular. And I understand the rules they've put in place. But at the same time, they have to look at it objectively and they just can't always look at this as black and white. There is some gray areas there."

During training camp in Oxnard, Calif., a crew of officials made its annual stop to meet with the team and even the media to discuss rule changes and points of emphasis.

For my own knowledge, the question was asked to a referee, whose eyes are fixed on the quarterback during a passing play, about the specifics of hitting quarterbacks in the head. This veteran ref assured quarterbacks will be protected at all costs, no matter how accidental a play might seem.

If a quarterback is getting pressured and ducks down to half his size, and just so happens to connect his helmet with another defender trying to land a shot in the midsection, it's a penalty, no questions asked.

A blitzing defensive end tries to bat down a pass with his hands up high, but as he comes down, the quarterback has been hit from the side by another defender and his head "runs into" the first defender's hands. No matter, hit to the head, it's a penalty.

Just how good would Ed "Too Tall" Jones have been with these rules? Sure we've seen the highlights of him batting down passes, putting the heads of Phil Simms and Joe Theismann on swivels, causing their throws to be batted back in their faces. In fact, because of Jones, the NFL started keeping stats for pass deflections.

But of all those batted passes, you wonder how many times Jones might have missed the ball and connected with the quarterback's head.

But that was then, and clearly, this is now.

The NFL knows it must keep the Michael Vicks and Donovan McNabbs of the league healthy for the entire season. The league can't afford to watch the Falcons crumble as they did last season when Vick spent 10 weeks of the regular season in street clothes because of a foot injury suffered during preseason.

"You've got all these guys who can move around - they're great athletes - it makes it hard for a defensive lineman to get a sack on these guys," Testaverde said. "They're out of control when they're trying to get to these guys. They're just glad to grab onto something when they get there. It's tough to call."

And Testaverde also knows there aren't many quarterbacks in the league today who would agree with these views.

"No, but a lot of QBs didn't play when all these rules came in either," he said.

So the line has to be drawn somewhere. Wait, let's rephrase that. The line has already been drawn, but it needs to be moved a little closer to the middle. Certainly the defensive linemen would agree.

And one quarterback we know of, for sure.

[SlickRick1382]

Its more like the NFL is making them wear skirts

[cashpath]

Yeah but I don't hear to many QB's complaining I mean look at Michelle Vick poster girl for the NFL.. She cried when she acted like she had the ball and someone tackled her.

Don't get me wrong there are still tough guys left like Testeverede/Mcnair/ and a few others, but it won't be long and all the new young guys will have the same whiny crying attitude that kickers have just like Vick...

[SenorMatt24]

Yeah I agree, teh rules are a little stingy. i blelieve their needs to be a penalty for helmet-to-helmet hits but if the quarterbak ducks, or a DE's hand runs into the arm, than that shouldn't be a penalty. Ever player gets hit and the QB's need to learn to live it. Oh and Vick if you dont want to get smashed, dont run.

[Ghs]

Put em on the line and let em know what contac is on every play.

They complain about getting hit by these guy's occasionally, we get hit by em everydown. And they have more explosion outta their stance than they do runnin at ya.

[titansrule]

yeah i have great appreciation for those qbs that dont wine when they are hit, and because i see him week after week, mcnair comes to mind. i find it hard to beleive that the qbs are even a part of the game anymore, soon it will be no contact to the qb...or something stupid like that.

[phatboyty]

i know there will be like a little circle where the QB can be and no1 else lol

[SlickRick1382]

lol
penalty - entering the zone of the QB, 15yd penalty, 1st down

so why wasn't derrick brooks penalised for his helmet to helmet hit on rich gannon? so much for protecting QB's huh? actually i also sense bias with the officiating. it seems the cowboys are also regularly on the wrong end of the stick along with the raiders. these are the 2 most winningest teams in the nfl. hey maybe thats why so many unfashionable teams are doing well right now, their getting too many favorable calls, and it probably results in an extra one or two wins for them.

its terrible.

then it'll be
penalty - unsportsmanlike conduct - intending to enter the QB zone - 15 yd penalty, 1st down

maybe the equipment manager should get some pompoms to go with the regulation skirts.

[cashpath]

I agree with what you just said Adam.. The league/refs do seem biased against some teams while favorable to tothers and its been anti cowboy and anti raider for a long time, the raiders is just because they have that reputation of being dirty players (even if its not that way anymore) and the cowboys just cause you either love them or hate them and I think most of the refs grew up hating them.

plenty of jealously involved. also with the raiders their owned by al davis, the perpetual enemy of the 'men in grey suits' that make up the top ranks of the nfl organisation. their the guys who appoint the goddamn refs and officials. they see a ref whose hometown is 'denver' and "yep, start work next sunday bud".

then again bias in sports is nothing new. happens a lot in the EPL. one season ref mike riley awarded 8 penalties, and 7 of those went to man utd. they won the league that year.

[ItalianStallion]

I won't argue with you about the Raiders not getting calls, and of course the Broncos get all the calls, but Rich Gannon didn't slide. He ran the ball forward past the line of scrimmage and he's not protected unless he slides. A QB is defenseless for a few seconds after they've thrown the ball, but if they're running the ball even the refs won't say that a hit is too big.

[cashpath]

Oh yeah I missed that Sorry Rich deserved what he got you can hit a running back helmet to helmet.. and Gannon was a RB on that play.. don't run if you don't want to get hit