Justin Houston is asking important questions of the NFL and its referees

Justin Houston was asking the right questions after the most recent Chiefs game, and the NFL needs to provide some answers.

If there’s going to be a bit of credit given before some serious backlash, let’s at least admit that it’s good that the National Football League is showing interest and making adjustments for player safety. On the surface, without getting into the weeds on the what or why or how, at least that much is noble or commendable.

From there, however, the implementation has been nothing but frustrating for defensive players this offseason as they struggle to learn new rules changes when tackling. Players are also frustrated as referees discern new points of emphasis (and how/when to call them).

If you watched the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Chicago Bears on Saturday during the team’s 27-20 preseason loss at Soldier Field, you likely remember the hit that had Justin Houston frustrated. During the second quarter, Tanoh Kpassagnon’s incredible length and burst helped him quickly overwhelm Bears tackle Rashaad Coward. Chase Daniel, the Bears quarterback at the time, doesn’t even have enough time to even notice the fact that Kpassagnon is going to stop this play before it starts, and the Chiefs second-year pass rusher finishes him off in what looks like a textbook sack. You can watch the play here.

The response to such a sack in the moment should have been momentum-altering for fans. After all, such play from Kpassagnon is exactly what the Chiefs need in the front seven. The Chiefs defense in general also required a boost yesterday to stop Chase Daniel from looking like Carson Wentz. Instead, Kpassagnon’s celebration was interrupted because a ref threw a flag.

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Roughing the passer. Fifteen yards.

Here’s where things get muddy. Within milliseconds on a play in which players are going full speed, closing with the sort of burst that got them drafted above others, refs are now wanting them to alter their course, slow their speed, think differently than they’ve been taught at every level of play—all under the banner of protecting players.

Yes, Kpassagnon had a clean tackle. Yes, Kpassagnon pursued the quarterback in the right way. Yes, Kpassagnon did everything he should coming off the line. Yes, he was just fine in his use of the helmet with the new tackling rules. Unfortunately he also failed to pay heed to a “2018 Point of Emphasis“.

It’s filed under “Protection of Quarterbacks” and it reads like this:

"The Committee reviewed hits on quarterbacks inside and outside the pocket. In some instances, the defender used all or part of his body weight to land on the quarterback immediately after the ball was thrown. These actions put the quarterback at risk for injury. The Officiating Department will emphasize that the defender is responsible for avoiding landing on the quarterback when taking him to the ground."

This is, of course, more about protecting their investments than protecting their players. Last year, Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone and a year later the NFL introduced a new point of emphasis this year. If you think there would be this emphasis if, say, a back-up running back broke his collarbone, you’d be mistaken. This is a passive way of saying, “Quarterbacks are the most recognizable players in the game and primarily who the fans pay top dollar to see. If we have to change a sack to a penalty in order to keep a face of the franchise upright, we will do it.”

For a sack artist like Justin Houston, he’s uncertain even how to do his job. After the game, Houston talked to reporters and didn’t mince words when discussing the referees.

"I don’t know how else you’re supposed to hit a quarterback. When you’re working on beating a tackle, you can’t just stomp on your brakes and just… We’ll be playing flag football after a while. I just went to the ref and asked why they called it. They said he put his weight on top of him, which he didn’t, so I don’t know how we’re supposed to do that. I’m still trying to figure out the rules before we get started.I think it’s crazy—a lot of these rules they’re putting in. I understand they want to keep us safe, but it’s a contact sport, and you’re trying to take the contact in it? We know what we signed up for. It’s not like no one is making us do this. You have an option.I hope they back off before the season starts because it’s gonna take a lot of fun out of the game. There’s gonna be a lot of penalties; it’s gonna slow the game down—not just quarterback hits but just open field tackles. Some of the hits are ridiculous right now. They’re throwing flags for everything."

Lest you think the Chiefs were just sore losers after the game (who could blame them after that poor defensive showing against the Bears backups of all things?), Houston is just the latest player to express frustration openly before the season starts.

Check out this play by Antwione Williams of the Jacksonville Jaguars sacking Cody Kessler of the Minnesota Vikings a few days ago. If you thought Kpassagnon’s hit was clean, this is even more questionable as it’s not quite as forceful of a hit. Yet Williams was not only flagged on the play but then docked over $20,000 for a fine of all things.

The most frustrating part for players is not having to alter their approach but that the NFL can’t even answer their questions when they ask. These things are nebulous, open to interpretation, at the whims of however a referee is feeling at the moment. One man’s game-changing sack is another man’s 15-yard penalty. One team’s much-needed stop becomes another team’s second chance. Check out the following from Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham earlier this offseason:

"We were trying to ask questions to get a better understanding, and yet they couldn’t really give us an answer,” linebacker Nigel Bradham said. “They couldn’t give us what we were looking for."

Justin Houston has legitimate questions. Unfortunately, the league has no answer. They’ve created a fog that’s confused everyone on the eve of the regular season in which these calls will undoubtedly make or break a team’s success—and cause layers of fan frustration in the process. Who wants to watch a game between two teams when, in the end, it really comes down to the guy in stripes?

Roger Goodell and company can still decide to pull back on some of these “points of emphasis” before the season begins if they so desire. Keeping quarterbacks upright is a good idea, but there’s just no way to remove the risk entirely—at least not without having everyone else in the room scratching their heads wondering what sport we’re even watching anymore.

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