Broncos defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson picked up a costly penalty in his team’s loss to the Colts when he bumped into Andrew Luck, who appeared to flop to the ground intentionally to get the referee to flag Vickerson for roughing the passer. Vickerson thinks Luck is the one who should have been penalized.
Vickerson told the Associated Press he wants the NFL to start fining quarterbacks who flop to try to draw flags, saying that football should follow the lead of basketball, where players can be disciplined for flopping.
“All the quarterbacks in the world are the chosen ones,” Vickerson said. “The NFL should have the same rules they have in the NBA about flopping.”
Vickerson’s penalty for bumping Luck came in the same week that Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III said he tries to bait defensive players into personal fouls, then backtracked when that became a subject of controversy. But NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino says the league’s officials don’t flag quarterbacks for flopping.
“We officiate, does the contact violate a rule?” Blandino said. “But not if a player is trying to buy a foul. We know basketball has a foul for flopping. We don’t.”
Vickerson thinks they should.