Rules Not Dissuading Vicious Hits

In 2018, NFL officials were issued a new interpretation to a penalty giving them more opportunities to change the outcome of games. Roughing the passer is now putting more yellow laundry on the field thanks to the new ‘body weight’ foul.

In year two of the new interpretation, zebras are eager to pull the trigger when it comes to quarterbacks getting sacked, but will that stop defensive lineman from committing the foul?

During last night’s Monday Night Football game when the New York Jets faced off against the Cleveland Browns, second year defensive lineman for the Browns, Myles Garrett, hit Jets’ backup quarterback Trevor Siemian late – twice – in the first quarter, both times drawing the 15-yard penalty. After the second time, Siemian left the game with an apparent ankle injury; bringing up a question for debate, was Garrett purposely trying to tackle the inexperienced quarterback to possibly hurt him? 

Or were both incidents merely accidental.  

Going into the game, Jets’ starting quarterback Sam Darnold was inactive due to mononucleosis, thrusting the offseason acquisition Siemian into the game. It seemed during the early going Garrett was, ahem, targeting the fresh quarterback. On both occasions, Garrett disobeyed the tradition rule of taking the quarterback to the ground after he has released the ball, and the new segment of the rule, landing with more than half of a player’s body weight on the passer. These were clear and obvious and no question penalties—and the stud defensive end is obviously aware of the rule, since it was introduced in his rookie year. Despite that, he choose to rough-up Siemian more than once in the same quarter anyway. 

Fans of the sport forget how much a devastating hit can affect a game, and in this case a season, as the Jets are down to their third string passer. But on Monday Night it appeared Myles Garrett still knew this reality and with intention aimed to intimidate Siemian with a style that does not fly in today’s NFL.