VikingLord wrote:The NFL wants to protect QB's. Because they want to protect them, they put in a special rule saying when the QB becomes a runner he can slide feet first and if someone touches him (not hits - touches) on the defensive side it's a 15 yard penalty. This rule doesn't apply to any other position. WR's have the ball and slide feet-first, they can get plowed and no foul. Ditto for RB's. So since players at those positions *aren't* protected by rule, and they're going to take a hit no matter what they do, well then sure, go head-first and try to pick up more yards.
I would argue that a pro QB should *always* try to slide. There might be times when he needs extra yards in a critical game and has to sacrifice for the team, but if a QB is frequently finding himself in situations where it isn't "safe" to slide feet-first then that QB isn't playing the position right. He's trying to be a hero or thinks he has running skills, is young and stupid, or isn't getting good coaching (or all of the above).
... or he's being an actual football player.
I think we have to remember that QBs don't just run when they have a nice, wide open space in front of them for scrambling. They often run when pressure forces them out of the pocket. When that happens, sliding isn't always possible.
QBs get hit. It's part of the game. They can get hit if they stay in the pocket and they can get hit when they leave the pocket. They shouldn't be reckless and nobody is suggesting Ponder should be reckless (or that he should ignore the sliding rule that works in his favor). However, there aren't plenty of situations in which sliding is all but impossible or potentially more dangerous. The QB needs room to slide.
Ponder's career will be cut short if he continues to go head-first into contact.
That may be true but again, he isn't being coached to go head-first into contact. He's not being told to lower his head and shoulders and take on tacklers like a running back. He's being coached to get down. As Musgrave said in the article I linked to above: "What's really important when a quarterback runs is getting down in a timely manner as those defenders converge". Musgrave isn't inventing his own reality. He's trying to teach his young QB to use his best judgment, that there are situations in which attempting to slide will get you hurt, not protect you. Ponder experienced that himself last year against Washington. He tried to slide, didn't have enough room to pull it off and ended up with a bloody nose after a hard hit. Trent Green was practically decapitated a few years ago trying to use the rule you're talking about, which is precisely why a QB shouldn't
always try to slide. They should slide when they have space to do so but otherwise, they should do what they can to avoid injury and if that means getting down head first in some situations, that's what a QB should do.
