LANG WEIGHS IN ON NFL OFFICIATING FUROR

By: Braedyn Wozniak, RP Show Intern

The NFL is underfire yet again this week, as two egregious roughing the passer penalties at critical moments have fans outraged.

Many people, including NFL Insider Jim Lang, believe the soft roughing the passer calls stem from the scary concussion Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered just a week prior.

“I think word came from the Ivory Tower on Park Avenue in New York,” said Lang Wednesday on the Rod Pedersen Show. “’We can’t have franchise quarterbacks stumbling off the field because they don’t know what state they’re in.”

The NFL and their referees have said the calls were unrelated, but considering the public outcry for increased player safety seeing Tagovailoa’s severe brain trauma first-hand, the argument has legs.

On Sunday, Grady Jarrett was flagged for a sack on third-down that would’ve ended the drive for Tom Brady’s Buccaneers and given the Atlanta Falcons a chance to win the game. The Buccaneers wound up winning 21-15.

After the call drew outrage from fans, defensive players and even quarter former quarterbacks, NFL officials made the same mistake just over 24 hours later.

The Kansas City Chiefs were down 17-7 to the Oakland Raiders Monday night, when Chris Jones stripped the ball from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr with a minute before halftime.

A potentially game-changing play by the defence. Instead, a 15-yard roughing the passer was called and the Raiders kicked a field-goal to extend their lead before the half.

The Chiefs managed to battle their way back and win a thriller 30-29, but the officiating was the clear talking point after the game.

Lang said it impacts the game in more ways than just the 15 yards and the first down.

“Now a defensive player who’s trying to make a difference to win a game is coming off the edge or up the middle, and now you have to actually think while you’re coming towards the quarterback at speed … where can I hit this quarterback?” said Lang.

“That’s a big advantage for quarterbacks in the NFL and a big advantage for offences.”

Even Future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees got on his Instagram after both games to call out the referees.

“NFL has to start reviewing roughing the passer penalties,” Brees said under his posted Chris Jones sack. “It’s too much of a judgement call for officials to make in a split second and very costly if incorrect.”

For a quarterback to protest calls in favour of the position and the offence as a whole signifies how bad the calls truly were.

Lang agreed with Brees.

“If it’s a 15-yard penalty, why not review it,” he said. “There’s too much on the line in the National Football League.”

“It’s still football. You are allowed to hit the quarterback. And that can’t be taken away from the game or it’s not football as we know it.”

(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)