CFL needs to examine roughing the passer penalty

[KCargosfan]

There's been too many roughing the passer penalties this year that haven't been "roughing the passer."

Exhibit A would be in today's Sask-BC game where Brent Hawkins makes a clean tackle on Lulay a split second after he throws it and they call the penalty. The QBs are becoming untouchable it seems sometimes.

Exhibit B would also be in today's game as some DB hit Lulay in the knees as he released the ball and they called it. It was kind of ridiculous and makes me thing the refs want BC to win this game. Led to a BC TD instead of a FG attempt.

[ArgoRavi]

There's been too many roughing the passer penalties this year that haven't been "roughing the passer."

Exhibit A would be in today's Sask-BC game where Brent Hawkins makes a clean tackle on Lulay a split second after he throws it and they call the penalty. The QBs are becoming untouchable it seems sometimes.

Exhibit B would also be in today's game as some DB hit Lulay in the knees as he released the ball and they called it. It was kind of ridiculous and makes me thing the refs want BC to win this game. Led to a BC TD instead of a FG attempt.

On that second call in particular, Lulay wasn't even in the pocket. Does that matter at all? Maybe it should.

[KCargosfan]

On that second call in particular, Lulay wasn't even in the pocket. Does that matter at all? Maybe it should.

Good point, Ravi. Even if he was in the pocket, it shouldn't have been a late hit.

[flafson]

The first one did seem a bit late to me and also seemed to be with excessive force.

[argolio]

On Exhibit B (if I'm remembering it right), it was an attempted tackle rather than a hit. It didn't look late to me, and it would have been a legitimate play if Lulay had pumped and held on to the ball rather than thrown, so calling it roughing seems unfair to me.

Anyway, I think it's obvious in today's pro football on both sides of the border that they give the benefit of the doubt to the QB at least nine times out of ten (and sometimes eleven times out of ten), so we just have to live with it.

[1argoholic]

There was one that was really lame this week where the qb was scrambling and barely got pushed just after tossing the ball. It may have been against Calgary so I guess it was ok. hahaha.

[KCargosfan]

The first one did seem a bit late to me and also seemed to be with excessive force.

It's hard to expect a guy going full speed to slow down and not even touch a QB. If that was roughing the passer, we might as well switch to flags.

But to argolio's points, it's basically common place on both sides of the border. I think if Brady or Brees even get breathed on it is roughing the passer.

[Mulder]

On one of the hits you are mentioning, the hit was below the knee's which is also a roughing the passer penalty even when late.