Jerry: New roughing rule has changed the game

7:03 am | September 25, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

10:47 AM ET

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the new emphasis on roughing the passer that bars a defender from landing with his full body weight on the quarterback has altered the game “as much as any one [rule] I have seen make a change from our past.”

Speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, Jones said the game played at the pro level needs to be different than the one played in high school and college.

“The way I see our future is I see a real serious emphasis on youth football, amateur football,” Jones said. “I see it reflected at the high school level. … I see a collegiate game that certainly has a lot of finesse in it, but is a great game and makes these kinds of adjustments we’re talking about.

“But when it comes to pro football, to use a boxing term, that’s when you put the 6-ounce gloves on. That’s when you don’t want to fight with those 10-ounce gloves or you don’t fight with those headgears. … You’re paid a lot of money to go out and incur those type situations that have more risks in them.”

In Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford was called for roughing the passer after hitting Russell Wilson. After the game, Jones said, “That was not roughing the passer under the existing rules,” and added Crawford, “was attempting to finesse the tackle.”

Crawford said the league “is trying to get us on petty stuff” and he expects to be fined.

“It’s real important that pro football distinguish itself as a very physical game relative to the game at college, relative to the game at high school and amateur,” Jones said Tuesday. “That’s very important. Now where to find that balance, that’s one thing. But when we get to a point in the future in time, you’ll see pro football where they’ve put the 6-ounce gloves on and where the men are playing.”

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has been at the center of the new rule for the past three games with hits that have been called penalties. Miami’s William Hayes suffered a torn ACL when he was attempting to avoid putting his body weight on Oakland quarterback Derek Carr.

Quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers have also been critical of the new rule.