National Football League

Protecting the QBs and everyone else

Updated Jan. 25, 2023 11:13 a.m. ET

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Watching injured Lions rookie Matthew Stafford trying to do his job on Thanksgiving Day against Green Bay was, well, painful. Even though it's his left, non-throwing shoulder that is plaguing the top overall draft pick, his discomfort each time he threw a pass was evident. It also was strong evidence that, for all those who have decried the NFL's efforts to safeguard quarterbacks as being too protective - you know, the "put a skirt on them" crowd - the glamour position remains a highly dangerous one for its practitioners. We're not only talking about inexperienced players such as Stafford, but last season's two Super Bowl QBs, Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner. Plus the Rams' Marc Bulger, the Cowboys' Tony Romo, and even Roethlisberger's backup, Charlie Batch. All of them were dinged, or worse, last weekend. While Romo rebounded from a sore back to throw for 309 yards in Thursday's win over Oakland, he was ineffective last Sunday in a 7-6 win over Washington because he was playing hurt. Bulger sustained several injuries, including a broken leg that might sideline him the rest of the way. Big Ben and Warner each suffered concussions, although both expect to play Sunday. Batch is done for 2009 with a broken wrist, even though he appeared for only a handful of plays. Other starting QBs to be sidelined by injury at various points this season are Miami's Chad Pennington (right shoulder), gone for the duration; Buffalo's Trent Edwards (concussion); Denver's Kyle Orton (ankle); Kansas City's Matt Cassel (left knee); Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb (broken rib); and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck (broken ribs). So what gives, other than the bodies of so many passers? Jeff Fisher and Rich McKay, the co-chairmen of the league's competition committee, note that the NFL has been as proactive as possible in safeguarding all of its players, with frequent discussions of rules changes and points of emphasis to protect them. That means every player, everywhere. "We've modified rules last year again," says Fisher, coach of the Tennessee Titans for the 15 years, the longest active streak with one franchise. "The defensive player coming off and going low (on the quarterback), for instance. "I don't know what else there is to do. We protect them out of the pocket, we protect them in the pocket, he's got helmet-to-helmet protection, he's got late-hit protection, and (officials) err constantly on the side of caution for the most part." One problem is the quarterbacks themselves don't always use a cautious approach. Certainly not the 6-foot-5, 241-pound Roethlisberger, who dived for extra yardage headfirst on the play on which he was hurt against Kansas City. And certainly not the scrambling types such as Romo or McNabb. Another reason the QBs are so vulnerable is the very act for which they are paid. The passers often are fully extended when throwing, leaving them as wide-open targets for legal as well as illegal hits. There even might be the mindset among defensive players and coaches that it's worth a 15-yard penalty to shake up or sideline the key player on offense - though nobody is about to say so. "I think we should always be diligent as a league with respect to player safety. Player safety is at the top of our priority list," Falcons president McKay says. "The initial reaction any time there is a player safety rule passed is that it will in some way inhibit the way the game used to be played.' In reality, players adjust and the game continues to be played at the same high level. We should never as a league be swayed by sentiment that we are 'overprotecting' our players." McKay is correct that toning down the way football is played to maintain or improve safety guidelines should override other considerations. The game isn't any less violent because of the modified rules, and those rules can keep star players - the ones the fans most want to see - healthier and productive. "Many rule changes have been implemented over the past number of years to protect players, including quarterbacks," McKay says. "There is always a public emphasis on how much is done to protect quarterbacks. However, in reality the league has passed many rules that are likewise focused on protecting all players from unreasonable risk of injury in a particular play or in a particular situation." That doesn't apply only to quarterbacks, naturally, though McKay notes, "We have seen evidence that the safety rules have been effective when we look at statistics concerning the number of starts missed by quarterbacks based on injury over the last 15 years." The decision this year to further protect defenseless receivers from vicious hits, particularly those to the helmet, has been a wise one. Besides, far too many players lead with their helmets, even on running plays through the middle that look like little more than scrums. Nothing in football is more dangerous than helmet-first hits, particularly to an opponent's helmet. A few years ago, it was the horse-collar tackle that was outlawed. "They are going to err on the side of caution as it related to the case of player safety," Fisher says, "whether it is helmet-to-helmet contact down the field, whether it is horse-collar, whether it is protecting the quarterback. That is what we are trying to do because player safety is so important." Football fans should remember that the next time they complain that quarterbacks are untouchable.