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SportsPulse: A tiny change in the application of the NFL rulebook this season has had a dramatic impact on the penalty of smugglers.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

Despite the tone and cry of many players and fans, the NFL revealed Thursday that it would not change the way penalties for passersby are refereed this season.

The league announced that its competition committee had a teleconference Wednesday night "to discuss the enforcement of the rules of the smuggler with emphasis on the use of body weight by a defender".

The group reviewed the rule violations, which has been around since 1995, but has been re-emphasized in the name of shift safety, both in this season and last year.

More: NFL sends a clear message to players, fans: to get used to penalties for brutalizing the smuggler

More: USA TODAY Sports & # 39; Week 4 NFL Choice: Will the Steelers and Browns keep the AFC North tight?

More: Eight questions for NFL Week 4: Will Matthews be reported again?

According to NFL executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, the committee finally "determined that there would be no change to the point of interest approved this spring or the rule.

"To ensure the consistency of arbitration, the committee clarified the techniques constituting a fault."

NFL Network reported earlier this week that some committee members were not happy with the way the rule was applied, particularly with respect to some of Clay Packers linebacker's hits, the Packers.

In the past three weeks, there have been 34 games with the passers-by, three against Matthews, who has drawn controversial flags over the past two games. Only 16 calls to the event had been called at the league ladder at the same time of the 2017 season.

After being penalized on Sunday for Alexander Alex Smith's coronation (a week after his hit on Kirk Cousins ​​of Minnesota was intercepted), an exasperated Matthews called the NFL "soft". In the last two weeks, none of her penalties have been found to be acceptable or inadmissible.

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Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis

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