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DAVIE –
The NFL's new emphasis on a rule requiring defensive players to reduce the amount of weight they carried to the quarter was nothing more than an embarrassment for the Dolphins until the end of the season.
Veteran defensive end William Hayes tore up his ACL by sacking Oakland quarterback Derek Carr late last weekend. It turned out that he had been hurt because he was trying to avoid landing on it.
Even if Hayes avoided a penalty flag that would have shattered his bag, the torn ACL threatens his career and is a big blow to Miami's defensive line.
"In the end, you are just trying to protect someone and hurt yourself," said Dolphins defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. "I do not know how to say it differently. This is not something we should even talk about.
"If it continues, it's our shoulders that will be hurt to roll awkwardly. I am 330 pounds. I do not need to rest on my shoulder. Are we serious with that? What – I do not even know, honestly. We will just do what we are trained to do.
The dolphin defensive line coach, Kris Kocurek, has taught players to "roll and roll", but thinking about avoiding a certain type of collision is a hindrance for the defenders.
The bodyweight rule, which states that "the defender is responsible for avoiding landing on the quarterback when he arrives on the ground," is in fact decades old, but the NFL has decided to reinforce it.
There were problems throughout the league, where there were 34 penalties for smugglers in three weeks, up from 16 last year, according to ESPN. Clay Matthews of Green Bay was at the center of the controversy as he was twice beaten and fined for landing on quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Alex Smith.
Matthews battled the league for these penalties and his allies around the NFL, including some in the Dolphins locker room.
"This rule is void," Miami security T.J. McDonald said. "I do not know how to say it differently. If you look at what's going on – I understand there are certain ways to protect the quarters when it's out of the pocket and what happened to Aaron Rodgers last year, but when a guy is in the pocket, defender disadvantage.
"You can live with some of the rules, but it's in your pocket and I do not know how you're supposed to control your body in those decisions in a split second. Something serious could happen. And if you do not do it, then that bag is removed. A bag is one of the biggest football games … and you know it can be bad because you hit too hard? I mean, man, it's hard.
The reference McDonald's game last year with Rodgers took place when he drove to the touch line and was hit by Minnesota linebacker Anthony Barr as he released the ball. Barr led Rodgers to the ground and broke his collarbone.
Rodgers seemed to see this shot as malicious, but some of the penalties assessed early this season look like regular bags.
It was difficult for players to retrain to the quarterback and some, like Dolphins defensive tackle Akeem Spence, said they did not understand exactly what the NFL expected of them.
Phillips, echoing an opinion expressed by Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman this week, opposes what he sees as the league favoring the health of the quarterbacks compared to others.
"They are trying to protect their investments, at the end of the day," said Phillips. "I hope we'll have protection soon, I guess.
"One has the impression that many people who use these rules never use them, so they do not know what we are experiencing or what it is that to try to hit someone else. a. It looks good in their head, so they put it in it.
In the case of Hayes, he weighs 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 265 pounds. For a man of this size who moves at full speed, an abnormal movement like the one he made to avoid squashing Carr is dangerous. Hayes took Carr off the ground and seemed to catch his right foot in the ground trying to draw lessons from the impact on Carr.
"It's difficult because you weigh 300 pounds and you stop and try to react without putting your weight on anyone," said Dolphins defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. It's difficult for everyone, but it's the rule, so we have to comply with it. "
Carr told reporters during the Raiders practice that he wanted Hayes to land on him instead of losing his season.
Dolphin quarterback Ryan Tannehill has acknowledged that although he enjoys rules like these, he understands that in some cases defenders can do nothing to avoid a great success.
"I understand what they are doing trying to protect the quarterbacks, but I see the conflict that puts the defender out of a block at full speed and then tries to make the adjustment in the last second," he said. . "It's hard, I do not have the right answer for you, I understand what the NFL is trying to do and I understand the situation in which the defense is located."
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