Penalties in an NFL game can spell the loss of yards, games and even seasons in abundance.
The "Roughing the Passer" penalty is one of the stiffest.
Here is everything you need to know about the penalty.
What is the Roughing the Passer penalty?
In short, it's the inpermissable use of the helmet. According to Article 11 of the NFL rule book: "Because the act of passing often puts the quarterback (or any other player attempting a pass) in a position where he is particularly vulnerable to injury, special rules against roughing the passer apply. Players in a passing posture are considered to be a player in a defenseless posture. Any physical acts against a player who is in a passing posture (i.e. before, during, or after a pass) which, in the game official’s judgment, are unwarranted by the circumstances of the play will be called as fouls. When in doubt about a roughness call or a potentially dangerous tactic against the passer, the game official should call roughing the passer."
When can Roughing the Passer be called?
Essentially, this penalty could be called when a pass rusher, who clearly should have known that the ball has already left the passer's hands, still makes contact thereafter. More specifically, according to the NFL rulebook, "once a pass has been released by a passer, a rushing defender may make direct contact with the passer only up through the rusher’s first step after such release." Any contact thereafter will be called a Roughing the Passer penalty.
A rushing defender cannot intimidate or punish the passer as in stuffing him into the ground after the passer has thrown the ball and is deemed a defenseless player. One of the most frequent ways this penalty is called is when a rushing defender lowers his head and makes forcible contact with any part of his helmet against any part of the passer's body, including the head, neck, chest, or knees, after the pass.
What happens when a Roughing the Passer penalty is called?
Any time the roughing the passer penalty is called, the committing team gets a loss of 15 yards. It's also an automatic first down for the other team. The player who is called for the penalty can be disqualified from the game, if the roughing is deemed flagrant by the officials.