Eli Manning is going against the grain on controversial roughing the passer calls.
This past week in the NFL, there were dubious personal fouls called on Grady Jarrett of the Falcons on a sack of Tom Brady, and Chiefs pass rusher Chris Jones on a strip-sack of Derek Carr.
Manning, speaking with Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports on Tuesday, was generally in favor of the direction the league is going in emphasizing quarterback safety, but added a caveat.
“I think the NFL’s on the right path, and they want to make the game safer, and they want to protect the quarterbacks,” he said. “As a quarterback, I love the idea. Even coaches, I think they agree we gotta protect these quarterbacks. It’s such an important position, and we don’t have another guy that’s gonna step in and be as productive as your starting quarterback in most cases.”
“It used to just be, is it late? That was really the only foul, are you late hitting? The hits to the helmet call’s deserved every time. It’s the other hits, like driving into the ground, or just excessive tackling. it’s hard to judge. It’s hard for the ref to decide is this truly a hit that is illegal? Was he driving or just tackling?“
Eli Manning praised the direction the NFL is going for QB safety but proposed for there to be instant replay on roughing the passer. Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgera
Manning proposed making roughing the passer susceptible to instant replay.
“I think it’s pretty obvious when you drive a guy into the ground as opposed to tackling him. Maybe you could bring instant replay into these calls,” he said. “Just because they are such important calls and difference makers. If you get a sack — you watch the [Derek] Carr one — it’s a sack, fumble, ball going the other way. Now, it’s 15 yards and a first down the other way. That can be a big point swing in a game.
“I think you just have to make sure the exact things these refs are looking for are locked down so you’re not getting some of these calls that shouldn’t be calls, and taking away some of these plays from the defense.”
Chris Jones was dubiously flagged for roughing the passer on Derek Carr on Monday night. Getty Images
One potential hurdle to his suggestion is that what happened when pass interference was reviewable in 2019. Officials were loath to change the calls they’d made on the field, and the idea that these calls could be challenged fell by the wayside in the ensuing offseason.