NFL says hit on Sam Bradford was legal, and Chip Kelly disagrees
Unlike most arguments about whether a hit is dirty or not, Terrell Suggs’ shot on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford has an interesting rules debate attached to it.
The NFL said Suggs’ hit on Bradford was fine because it was a read-option play and Bradford could have kept it and run. That’s what Suggs, the Baltimore Ravens’ star pass rusher, argued after the game. He was called for a penalty and wasn’t happy about it.
“We clarified this really in 2012 with the proliferation of these read-option schemes, and basically because the quarterback has an option, he’s considered a runner until he either clearly doesn’t have the football or he re-establishes himself as a passer,” NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said on NFL Network. “So it’s not a foul by rule, it’s something we make sure we cover with our game officials because the defensive end coming off the edge, he doesn’t know if the quarterback is going to keep it, if he’s going to take off and run or drop back.”
So that’s that. Or maybe not. Eagles coach Chip Kelly vehemently disagreed with how Blandino classified the play. Kelly said it wasn’t a read option for Bradford, it was a simple handoff out of the shotgun, as many teams routinely do.
“Not every shotgun run is a zone-read play,” Kelly said, according to CSN Philly. “We didn’t run any zone-reads. We had this conversation last year, we don’t run as much zone-read as everybody thinks we do. We’re blocking the back side. [Bradford’s] not reading anything, he’s just handing the ball off.”
Kelly did correctly point out that if all quarterbacks handing off from the shotgun are considered fair game to get hit, the NFL is going to have a problem.
“We know the rules. If our quarterback hands the ball off and isn’t going anywhere, you shouldn’t be able to hit him,” Kelly said. “That’s the way the rule’s been explained to us.
“I think it would be troubling for the league if every quarterback in the shotgun can get hit, but I mean that’s [the league’s] determination. It’s up to them on how they want to handle it.”
It doesn’t appear that Bradford was running a read option (and it seems unlikely the Eagles do that in his first game back off ACL injury), but how is Suggs supposed to know that?
“If I take myself out of an Eagles uniform, I’d probably do the same thing (as Suggs),” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said, according to CSN Philly.
It’s a tough call for the officials on the field, and seemingly even for NFL officials to call days after the fact.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
