Mark Barron's hit upon Ben Roethlisberger looked illegal - NFL Nation - ESPN
Kevin Seifert, NFL Nation CloseESPN.com national NFL writerESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008Follow upon Twitter0 SharesEmailPrintComment
You observed the actual play. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered any left knee injury midway through your third quarter Sunday at St. Louis. Roethlisberger has a sprained MCL and can miss four in order to 6 weeks as he recovers, a new team source told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.
Roethlisberger was hit lower about the play, therefore it's worth asking: Has Been he harm through an illegal hit?
The make contact with occurred when Rams safety Mark Barron blitzed the actual left facet of the Steelers' offensive line. Barron stumbled while he cut inside. Based around the television replay from the end zone, it appeared which Barron reached toward Roethlisberger along together with his left arm as well as ultimately barreled straight into his leg with all the left shoulder.
In 2009, you might recall, the actual NFL clarified its quarterback protection guidelines to incorporate below-the-knee hits through defenders about the ground. The Actual impetus was the girls swimwear torn ACL suffered through New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Here's the particular relevant passage in the NFL rule book: "A rushing defender will be prohibited from forcibly hitting within the knee location as well as beneath any passer who may have 1 or perhaps each feet on the ground, even if the initial contact will be above the particular knee. It is actually not truly a foul in the huge event the girls swimwear defender is actually blocked (or fouled) in in order to the passer and it has absolutely no opportunity to avoid him." Your rule consists of a pair of footnotes: "(1) Any defender cannot initiate a new roll or perhaps lunge and also forcibly hit the actual passer inside the knee location as well as below, even if he's being contacted by simply an additional player. (2) That is actually not a foul in the wedding the defender swipes, wraps as well as grabs the passer in the knee region or perhaps beneath inside an make an effort to tackle him."
Barron appeared to stumble about their own and also failed to seem to become blocked for the ground ahead of the girls swimwear contact. Barron informed reporters throughout St. Louis which "I tripped more than somebody's feet as well as on my method down I caught a piece of his leg." If anything, his actions match the description of your "lunge" adopted by a forcible hit for the passer. Referee John Hussey's crew didn't call a penalty. Mike Pereira, your NFL's former vice president regarding officiating and now any Fox analyst, said he believes that one needs for you to have been called. the NFL routinely evaluations coaches' tape of all video games along with frequently concerns fines for plays in which weren't penalized during the game.
No 1 can be suggesting in which Barron's hit has been dirty. However through this vantage point, it seemed to fall into the huge bucket regarding quarterback contact the particular NFL attempts to avoid. An Individual can effortlessly see why.
Kevin Seifert, NFL Nation CloseESPN.com national NFL writerESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008Follow upon Twitter0 SharesEmailPrintComment
You observed the actual play. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered any left knee injury midway through your third quarter Sunday at St. Louis. Roethlisberger has a sprained MCL and can miss four in order to 6 weeks as he recovers, a new team source told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.
Roethlisberger was hit lower about the play, therefore it's worth asking: Has Been he harm through an illegal hit?
The make contact with occurred when Rams safety Mark Barron blitzed the actual left facet of the Steelers' offensive line. Barron stumbled while he cut inside. Based around the television replay from the end zone, it appeared which Barron reached toward Roethlisberger along together with his left arm as well as ultimately barreled straight into his leg with all the left shoulder.
In 2009, you might recall, the actual NFL clarified its quarterback protection guidelines to incorporate below-the-knee hits through defenders about the ground. The Actual impetus was the girls swimwear torn ACL suffered through New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Here's the particular relevant passage in the NFL rule book: "A rushing defender will be prohibited from forcibly hitting within the knee location as well as beneath any passer who may have 1 or perhaps each feet on the ground, even if the initial contact will be above the particular knee. It is actually not truly a foul in the huge event the girls swimwear defender is actually blocked (or fouled) in in order to the passer and it has absolutely no opportunity to avoid him." Your rule consists of a pair of footnotes: "(1) Any defender cannot initiate a new roll or perhaps lunge and also forcibly hit the actual passer inside the knee location as well as below, even if he's being contacted by simply an additional player. (2) That is actually not a foul in the wedding the defender swipes, wraps as well as grabs the passer in the knee region or perhaps beneath inside an make an effort to tackle him."
Barron appeared to stumble about their own and also failed to seem to become blocked for the ground ahead of the girls swimwear contact. Barron informed reporters throughout St. Louis which "I tripped more than somebody's feet as well as on my method down I caught a piece of his leg." If anything, his actions match the description of your "lunge" adopted by a forcible hit for the passer. Referee John Hussey's crew didn't call a penalty. Mike Pereira, your NFL's former vice president regarding officiating and now any Fox analyst, said he believes that one needs for you to have been called. the NFL routinely evaluations coaches' tape of all video games along with frequently concerns fines for plays in which weren't penalized during the game.
No 1 can be suggesting in which Barron's hit has been dirty. However through this vantage point, it seemed to fall into the huge bucket regarding quarterback contact the particular NFL attempts to avoid. An Individual can effortlessly see why.