Penalties Hurt The Integrity Of The NFL: Hitting a Defenseless Receiver

Protecting quarterback's became even more emphasized after Tom Brady's injury last year.  Now if you fall down near the legs of a quarterback there is an automatic 15 yard penalty.  Then Anquan Boldin gets injured taking a hit in the end-zone and now there is a new rule regarding hitting a defenseless receiver. 

Altogether, these unequally enforced rules lead to more touchdowns by the best offenses in the league, and not less hits of these type.  The amount of personal fouls has just increased, rather than changing the behavior of the athlete.  This is because we're asking too much of athletes in these situations.

I can't say how many times I have seen a defensive tackle take a swipe at the ball and barely miss the arm of the quarterback who throws an incomplete pass because of the pressure and instead hit their face-mask which leads to fifteen yards and a first down. These penalties are especially called in crunch time situations near the end of the game when passing is inevitable and the defensive line is instructed to have one thing on their mind, sacking the quarterback.  Players are not allowed to hit the quarterback near the legs or near the head, but the quarterback is a moving target. 

Receivers used to fear going over the middle because of the big hit potential that was there.  Quarterbacks were instructed to throw the ball low or not lead their receivers into big hits.  The receivers that sacrificed their bodies for the catch were admired. The game is changing.  The NFL want must want more scoring.  Pick plays by receivers are rarely called while roughing the passer and hitting a defenseless receiver are effecting the outcome of numerous games.  

Have you ever seen the hitting a defesless reciever call against a completed pass?  NO!  I've seen plays over and over again that had the reciever dropped the ball the ref would have thrown the flag.  This never gets called.  Why?

Why do you suppose players haven't changed there actions?  Even the best defensive minds are unable to follow these unequally enforced rules.  If you have ever played football you know your instructed not to lead with your head down, but it's impossible not to lead with your head.  You just slide your helmet to the side.  This instruction isn't to protect others from taking a hit, it's to prevent you from having a spinal injury.  Text book tackles are rare in football because running backs aren't stationary.  If a receiver leans his head into a defender when catching a ball or ducks to try and avoid contact corners, safeties, and linebackers have no time to adjust to the receivers every movement to hit them in the correct place. Trying to follow these new rules is not going to reduce the amount of hits in the game.  Football is not an injury free sport. 

In baseball when hit by a pitch the runner takes a base.  This makes sense because ther batter is not allowed to stand over home plate.  Imagine for a moment that pitchers were required to throw strikes and not hit the batter, but the batter was allowed to stand wherever he wanted, and the move after the pitcher was in throwing motion. 

It is the responsibility of the quarterback not to lead receivers into vicious hits.  If I was a coach I'd pass across the middle every down and instruct my quarterback to lean over just before he was hit to induce a going to the head of the quarterback penalty as well as a hitting a defenseless receiver penalty.  This way every down I have four ways to gain yards.  Roughing the passer, Pass interference, hitting a defenseless receiver, and if all else fails maybe the receiver would actually catch the ball.

P.S.  This also feels like an extension of Rodger's crazy discipline system.  Nobody knows if there is going to be a penalty or not and we're all waiting to see what the judgement is.  I don't know if Rodger is responsible for these rules and I don't care.  I just need somebody to hate when they throw these unavoidable flags.