“Brady rule” further wussifies NFL

Last September as I was watching Kansas City play New England from a sports book in Las Vegas, Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard was blocked to the ground short of New England quarterback Tom Brady.

From the ground he made a desperation dive toward the quarterback, wrapping up his left knee and twisting it as Brady threw a pass.

Pollard wasn’t fined or flagged for the hit. He was finishing a blitz, playing until the whistle and trying desperately to make a play. He shouldn’t have been flagged.

Unfortunately, as Brady’s knee twisted, the ACL and MCL in his knee snapped, costing the star player the rest of his season.

It’s a shame the injury happened. Brady is a great player and the Patriots, despite the solid play of backup Matt Cassel, were a lesser team because of the injury.

But that’s football. Every single player who steps on the field, be it a high school game or the National Football League, is aware of the potential for injury. They are well aware that any play could be the last one they ever play.

I understand the league’s desire to keep its quarterbacks and its star players healthy. But a rule clarification passed at the league meetings this week making it illegal for a defender on the ground who hasn’t been blocked or fouled directly into the quarterback takes this obsession with preventing quarterback hits too far.

Under a rule clarification passed by the NFL’s Competition Committee, Pollard would have been subjected to a penalty and, in today’s pussified NFL, probably a five-figure fine as well.

It’s a joke that is told with increasing frequency and legitimacy – the NFL might as well put a dress on quarterbacks and make them untouchable altogether. Bernard Pollard most likely was not trying to injure Brady. He was doing what every coach at every level of play he has ever participated in has likely told him to do – finish a play until the whistle blows.

Could he have gotten up and made a hit higher on Brady? Perhaps. Perhaps not. These plays happen fast. Split seconds make the difference between sacks and touchdown passes, between completions and deflections.

Pollard made a hit that had an unfortunate result. That’s going to happen sometimes, no matter what efforts the league makes to prevent such hits after the fact.

This is still football. This is a violent, hard-hitting game. People get hurt. This rule is ridiculous.