Quote:
Originally Posted by ultimate175
That play did seem to conflict with the spirit of protecting quarterbacks, but what rule specifically was broken to cite as a penalty? You can't go low at a QB's knees - that's an explicit rule. You can't land with your full body weight on a QB - that's an explicit rule. You can't hit a QB late after releasing the ball - that's an explicit rule. No helmet to helmet contact - that's an explicit rule. None of those occurred. Other than being aggressive, what was the violation?
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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.
From the NFL website, section b on this page
https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules...ng-the-passer/