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Today, we’re writing about the controversial hit on Trevor Lawrence and how the NFL could better protect players.
Plus: What’s different for Caleb Williams in Chicago and a preview of tonight’s big game.
Dear NFL: There’s a better solution for late hits
Tom Brady had “mixed emotions” when he saw Sunday’s uproar following the hit by Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair on the sliding Trevor Lawrence, for which the linebacker has been suspended three games.
When Brady assigned blame for hits like this, he didn’t focus on Al-Shaair. Or defensive players. He instead argued that quarterbacks — and their play callers — should be held responsible:
“When you run, you put yourself in a lot of danger, and when you do that, I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t really think that’s fair to the defense.”
Nobody is more qualified to an opinion than the NFL’s all-time leader in games played as a quarterback. And while running was never his strength, he took his share of hits, including this similar one, which perhaps taught him to alter his style at times:
Brady is right when he says quarterbacks who slide late cannot blame a defensive player for contact happening. “Defensive players have to be aggressive,” are his words, and it’s indisputable. But could Al-Shaair have taken a different approach, perhaps without his forearm? Seems like it. (“I genuinely didn’t see him sliding until it was too late,” Al-Shaair has tweeted.)
My issue with Brady’s comments is that he’s asking offensive players and coaches to play without that same aggressiveness, to avoid taking advantage of every opportunity.
I was stunned to hear such a hypocritical take. I lived through Deflategate. I read the TB12 method, and knew of his abstemious diet. I was always inspired by Brady’s ability to continuously strive for that .001 percent edge.
Defenders having to navigate penalties is exactly the type of opportunity that Brady the QB would’ve exploited. How many times did we see him working the refs for a roughing call or benefitting from a dubious one? NFL fans complained about that for well over a decade, as Brady surely knows.
His comments imply Lawrence was entirely to blame, ironic given how easily Brady — nearly 20 years older than the Jaguars quarterback during the below play — could have been on the receiving end of a similar hit:
When Lawrence tried the same thing on Sunday, the play ended with the 25-year-old in a fencing position. It’s likely to end his season. Now is when Brady, the retired legend and Raiders minority owner, pulls up the Protect The QB ladder?
He should instead consider how to improve the rule for future players. Late slides and Patrick Mahomes-style out-of-bounds runs are inevitable in the current system, when quarterbacks know defenders face difficult choices. If the NFL wants to protect players, it needs to rethink this. And the answer is not adding additional subjective rules, like a flag for a late slide, as Brady suggested.
I’d love to hear your perspective (please share your thoughts below), but two possible solutions could improve the current rules:
1. Eliminate the slide. Anyone sliding is at the mercy of the defender, who is forced to make a split-second decision on whether they expect the runner to voluntarily go down. And since runners are down the moment they begin their slide, their incentive is to slide as late as possible, even while defenders must remain fully ready to deliver contact. A game of chicken is the opposite of safe.
Banning this would force players to use the Tyler Lockett plop or to dive for yardage. The former is safer for everyone, while the latter is fairer for everyone. Getting rid of sliding is my preference.
2. Increase the penalty for late hits. Since runners are down the moment they start to slide (which must be enforced), there’s no justification for choosing to hit anyone who has clearly given themselves up. Hitting a sliding player, whether early or late, could be an automatic ejection, and any quarterback who appears to be sliding or heading out of bounds is automatically deemed down (similar to how plays are blown dead when forward progress stops).
Personally, I’m not a fan of this approach. It invites subjectivity (ready to see Josh Allen get called out of bounds a yard away from the sideline?) and more penalties, and it encourages QBs to toy with responsible defenders. But if referees were overly sensitive to players giving themselves up, it could have a similar effect as fines for illegal hits on quarterbacks, which have declined since the 2009 rule changes.
Then again, we’re only discussing this because it’s such a rare occurrence. Anyone who suggests that Lawrence had time to slide earlier is right, and it appears Al-Shaair had time to adjust as well. Maybe this controversy signals that the rules usually work?
Maybe, but there’s obviously still plenty of room for improvement. Rather than chastise offensive players and coaches, perhaps Brady can turn his endless search for perfection toward the real culprit: the rules that incentivize these dangerous plays.
I want to open up the mailbag. How would you fix this? Make your voice heard here. We’ll include some of your answers in tomorrow’s newsletter.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Suspension stands, but war of words lingers
In yesterday’s newsletter, we told you about Texans GM Nick Caserio’s strong (and profane) words regarding the NFL’s suspension of Al-Shaair.
It was in part a reaction to the suspension for repeated violations of player safety rules. It was also an objection to the way the league depicted Al-Shaair in a letter to the linebacker, which Caserio said was “bulls—” during a Tuesday news conference.
Yesterday, the league announced Al-Shaair’s suspension was upheld, and the linebacker’s reaction was just as defiant as his GM’s. Al-Shaair posted a photo of Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker to Instagram, captioned, in all-caps: “IF YOU WANT ME TO BE YOUR VILLAIN, ILL BE YOUR VILLAIN,” along with a middle finger emoji and a “SEE YOU SOON…”
We won’t see him on the field again until the regular-season finale in Tennessee, but you can be sure his suspension will continue to be a topic of conversation across NFL locker rooms and front offices.
Back to you, Jacob.
Caleb Williams 📈: Positive change in Chicago
Jayden Daniels brought hope to Washington. Drake Maye has done the same in New England. Bo Nix has the Broncos positioned to make the playoffs for the first time since Peyton Manning retired in 2015.
When the Bears took Caleb Williams ahead of all three, they expected an even better season. Their fans entered the season with an optimism score that ranked behind only the Lions and Chiefs.
Today, if you asked New England or Denver to trade Maye or Nix for Williams, they might hang up the phone. Washington wouldn’t even answer.
However, with each week under offensive coordinator (and now interim head coach) Thomas Brown, Williams is changing that narrative. In the three games since Brown — formerly the assistant head coach for Sean McVay’s Super Bowl-winning Rams — replaced OC Shane Waldron, the offense has a newfound structure and an identity.
During that stretch, the 4-8 Bears lost to the Lions (11-1), Vikings (10-2) and Packers (9-3) by a total of seven points. (Crunch time decision-making remained a culprit, which is why Matt Eberflus became the first Bears head coach fired midseason in the franchise’s 105-year history.)
The Bears still haven’t won since Oct. 13, and their upcoming schedule is the league’s toughest: 49ers, Vikings, Lions, Seahawks and Packers. Even if they lose out, continued improvement from Williams could make Brown the rare interim coach with staying power. In Mike Sando’s evaluation of the QB future for all 32 teams, Williams joins Daniels, Nix and Maye in the “Long Runways” group.
The only question: Who will be coaching him? Last week, McVay endorsed Brown. There’s a good chance the Bears make an unprecedented head coaching hire, which Kevin Fishbain writes could range from Brown to Bill Belichick to acquiring a coach via trade. Given their track record, a new approach seems like a smart one.
Tonight: Packers at Lions
Kicking off Week 14, the Packers visit the Lions at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video. Tickets start at $267, the highest price for a game this week.
It should live up to the hype, especially after Green Bay outgained Detroit by 150 yards in their last meeting, only to lose 24-14. One player to watch tonight:
- Lions S Brian Branch, who was ejected in the second quarter of their last meeting for a questionable helmet-to-helmet hit. As PFF’s fifth-highest graded safety walked off, he was photographed flipping off the Green Bay sideline, for which he later apologized.
As for Green Bay, beat reporter Matt Schneidman explains why he thinks the Packers will win. One reason: “The Lions’ front seven is more banged up than a Packers tailgate outside Ford Field before a night game.” Giddy up. Or better put, get well soon, Detroit. And good luck.
Yesterday’s most-clicked: Updated Power Rankings.
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(Photo: Mike Carlson, Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
