Redskins vs. Packers: Refs made the right call on Alex Smith sack

The Washington Redskins were triumphant on Sunday, but a controversial penalty against the Green Bay Packers has everyone talking.

The Washington Redskins entered the bye week with a solid performance against a perennial playoff contender and the fans are excited with the first home win of the season. The players in burgundy and gold were able to come out of the gates faster than Secretariat and set a pace that Green Bay could not match. The two-touchdown margin was larger than many pundits were expecting and many in the media predicted a Redskins loss. Washington enters the bye week in a tie for first place in the NFC East.

The focus on this game should’ve been on the rushing offense, superb play from the defensive line, and an aggressive strategy that produced a lopsided victory. However, there was one play that overshadowed every aspect of Sunday’s game – a sack by Green Bay linebacker, Clay Matthews. It was a play that sparked an immediate controversy and quickly became a hot topic in league circles and on social media. Matthews was able to quickly slide by right tackle Ty Nsekhe and had a straight path to Redskins quarterback Alex Smith. The Packers linebacker registered the sack, but was called for roughing the passer and the play was negated. Matthews was livid and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was animated on the sideline as the referee marked off the fifteen yard penalty.

Replays showed what seems to be a fairly normal sack, but Matthews used an extra step to drive Smith backward and landed his full 6-foot-3, 255-pound frame on top of the Redskins quarterback. Was it simply a sack? Was it truly roughing the passer? According to former NFL referee Ed Hochuli, it was a “textbook” example of roughing the passer.  From a ProFootballTalk.com article by Mike Florio:

"Calling it a “textbook” case of roughing, Hochuli said that the hit by Matthews falls squarely within the point of emphasis regarding the roughing passer foul, as it relates to the placement of all or most of the defender’s body weight on the passer.“They’ve been calling it this way for six weeks,” Hochuli said. “It’s as clear of an example of roughing the passer as you could have.”So what should Matthews have done differently? Hochuli said that the solution is simple. Matthews had two steps before hitting Smith. The league expects Matthews in that situation to hit him and roll to the side, landing with Matthews’ body weight on the ground, not on the passer.“If I could show an example of fully body weight on a passer,” Hochuli said, “that would be the play.”"

Not convinced? Let’s go to the NFL rulebook and take a look at what it says. Scroll down to Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9b.  Here is what is written:

“When tackling a passer who is in a defenseless posture (e.g., during or just after throwing a pass), a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down or land on top of him with all or most of the defender’s weight. Instead, the defensive player must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player’s arms and not land on the passer with all or most of his body weight.”

There it is in black and white. According to the NFL, that was a “textbook” definition of roughing the passer. Many fans may not like the rule, but it is plainly spelled out for everyone to see.  Matthews did, indeed, commit the personal foul and the referee did not hesitate to toss the penalty flag.

The league has become much more serious about protecting the quarterbacks in recent years and that is not going to change. Imagine losing some of the best signal callers during the first few weeks of the season. So many teams would be struggling and the product on the field could lack the qualitative aspects that fans and the league prefer. The last thing the NFL wants now is more empty seats in the stadiums.

The types of injuries that may occur from the kind of hit Matthews put on Smith include a broken clavicle, a serious chest contusion, broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a separated shoulder, collapsed lung(s), and a concussion.  Do we need to mention the many concerns that the NFL has about CTE (Per Jill Martin of CNN)?

Again, most fans did not like the call. However, this is life in the NFL today and there are many reasons why the league has taken these steps to make the game safer. There is likely a time when a Redskins player will be flagged for a similar play and no one will like the call. Just remember that there is a legitimate reason to have this rule in the NFL rulebook.