Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t want the officials to go too far to protect him.
Rodgers didn’t like two questionable roughing the passer calls in Sunday’s tie with the Vikings, one of which was called when Minnesota linebacker Eric Kendricks hit Rodgers, and another called on Packers linebacker Clay Matthews for hitting Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
“What do you say to Clay? His head is out of it. His hand is on the ground. That’s not roughing the passer,” Rodgers said. “Same thing with Kendricks. What do you say to him on that? I didn’t get up off the ground thinking, ‘Where’s the penalty?’ I saw a late flag and couldn’t believe there was a penalty on the play. I’m a traditionalist. I’ve watched the game and loved the game for a long time. And some of the rules help, but some of the rules, maybe are going in the wrong direction. They’re trying to think about the progress of the game and the safety and stuff. But it’s still a collision sport, and those to me are not penalties.”
Rodgers is giving voice to what plenty of fans have said after seeing the roughing the passer calls in the NFL this season: The league is going too far to try to protect quarterbacks.