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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Can’t touch this.
Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett fires Tom Brady for rough passer in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s 21-15 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday And being marked found the hard way.
This Questionable Penalties That benefited Brady, while the Pirates raised more concerns about the interpretation of the rules. It was the second week in a row that referee Jerome Borg made a pivotal late-game call for a game that seemed to have no reason.
Last week, it helped the Buffalo Bills on a drive that culminated in a 21-yard field goal by Tyler Bass in a 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
This time, it allowed the Buccaneers to extend their final drive and finally run out of clocks.
Protecting quarterbacks has always been a priority in the NFL. It was magnified on Sept. 29 when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was stretched off the court after being hit hard against Cincinnati. Tagovailoa suffered a concussion when 6-foot-3, 340-pound Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tup threw. He stepped back and hit his head on the turf.
Tupou was not penalized for firing Tagovailoa. Neither Josh Allen nor Brady were injured in what Boger called a rough shot.
“What I had was the defender caught the quarterback while he was still in the pocket and threw him to the ground unnecessarily,” Borg told a pool reporter after the game. “That’s the basis for my decision.”
Buccaneers coach Todd Powers certainly understands the decision.
“I saw that called. I saw it when Tua was hit, at the game in London this morning,” Bowers said. “I think they started cracking down on things, behind their backs. I don’t know. Now, the way they call (it), I think a lot of people are going to get that call.”
In the NFL rulebook, it states: “Any physical conduct directed at a player in a passing position (i.e. before, during, or after a pass) is, in the judgment of the referee, unreasonable in light of the circumstances of the game. , will be called a foul.”
The rulebook also states: “When in doubt about a rough call or a potentially dangerous play against a quarterback, the referee should always call a rough passer.”
Many analysts, including the former quarterback, disagreed with Borg’s call.
“The league office has to address this,” Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungey said on NBC’s “American Football Night” pregame show. “If you can’t deal with the quarterback, it’s impossible to defend.”
Robert Griffin III tweeted: “The Falcons are robbed. Even Tom Brady, a hard QB doesn’t equal a rough passer.”
Despite the perception that Brady, 45, is getting special treatment, the seven-time Super Bowl champion ranks 41st with 0.14 rough calls per game since 2009. It was the first time this season that Brady was the beneficiary of a rough penalty. He only got one last year.
Jarrett, apparently uneasy about the call, declined to speak to reporters after the game. Falcons coach Arthur Smith would not criticize officials.
“Obviously, from my perspective, it looked like a bad decision,” said Falcons cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. “But that’s why you make the referees go and make these calls. They pay these people to make these calls. From my point of view it looks bad – but like I said – I’m on the back end. They put these people out there to make these calls.”
No one wants to see any player suffer a blow like sending Tagovailoa to the hospital. But there’s a difference between protecting a quarterback and punishing a guard who plays football.
Finding balance is the NFL’s dilemma.
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Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter https://twitter.com/robmaaddi
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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