Matt Calkins: Will hit on Trevor Lawrence push NFL to finally take action on QB slides?

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Dec 8, 2024

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

RENTON, Wash. — Man, it looked dirty.

And the roles of villain and victim were quickly assigned.

On Dec.1, Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence slid just past Houston's 45-yard line in an attempt to give himself up, only to be drilled in the head by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

The play resulted in an ejection and three-game suspension for Al-Shaair, and a concussion for Lawrence that will likely end his season. It was exactly the kind of hit modern NFL rules are designed to prevent ... but is it possible the villain was mislabeled?

There are often two types of reactions to controversial moments that go viral. The first is the immediate, instinctual response fueled by emotion. The second is the one following a deep breath and an appeal to reason.

Al-Shaair, who, yes — has a history of personal fouls — prompted almost unanimous social-media scorn in the minutes and hours following that play. But people in the league — including Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith — acknowledged that these are split-second decisions defenders have to make. Their job is to take down the runner in the open field, and they don't know when or if the QB is going to take himself down.

Said Geno: "I feel for both sides, man. As a quarterback, I understand that you're trying to protect yourself and the guy hits you and you're not expecting it. So, that's probably the most vulnerable you'll be when you're sliding, you're not expecting to get hit. But also as a defender, you're trying to get the guy to the ground. It's a split-second decision, like you said. A lot of guys play with a lot of aggression, so to dial that back would kind of take away from the player. I think it's a great conversation to be had, but ultimately you just don't want that type of stuff to happen."

This is not to exonerate Al-Shaair, who issued an apology for the hit. It is rather meant to examine an issue more nuanced than it may seem. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has faked a slide and faked going out of bounds, only to pick up extra yards in the process.

He essentially took advantage of the fear defenders have of hitting a quarterback a quarter second too late and losing a chunk of their livelihood as a result.

Remember, the NCAA outlawed such deception after Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett faked a slide en route to a 59-yard touchdown run. But in the NFL, said trickery is still legal.

Mentioning Mahomes by name, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons pointed this out earlier in the week and called for changes. Could the NFL penalize fake slides the way the NBA does flops? It might be hard to adjudicate, but it also might make it more fair for guys on the defensive side of the ball.

"It's difficult being a defensive player in this league now. We've got all these different rules and how to land and how to hit and when to not hit and how to tackle. It's really difficult," Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. "I'm sure that player had no intentions of hurting Trevor. But, I think from a defensive player, I think quarterbacks have got to slide a little earlier. You can't wait until the last second to test the guy because he's going to go his hardest."

Seahawks backup quarterback Sam Howell agreed that Lawrence might have slid a little too late on that play. He emphasized the need to slide early but considers this whole situation to be a "flaw in football right now."

"When you look at it, it looks terrible, but in reality it was kind of a late slide and he was going to hit him," said Howell of the Lawrence hit. "I mean, also you never want to get hit in the head. I don't know, it's an unfortunate play and it happens pretty often in the NFL."

The bottom line is this: The NFL is a quarterback's league, and these rules are designed to protect what may be the most important position in team sports. If that means harsh penalties for a defensive player with no malicious intent, the league is going to accept that.

But quarterbacks need to be smart about their slides, too, and faking them shouldn't be allowed. There was nothing good about that hit on Lawrence. Maybe something good will come out of it.