NFL rules and referees came under fire in Week 5 after a series of roughing-the-passer penalties and other questionable calls that drew outrage from fans, players and analysts. Days after Week 5 concluded, with many still talking about officiating in the NFL, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel reportedly called out the league.
Frustrations were extremely high around the NFL after Week 5. It started with an iffy roughing-the-passer penalty called on Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett that turned a third-down sack on Tom Brady into a guaranteed win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A day later on Monday Night Football, the faulty personal foul penalties came under scrutiny once more after Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was called for a ridiculous penalty on Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
- Mike Vrabel coaching record: 44-26
Not only did it outrage current and former defensive players, the penalties even bothered quarterbacks. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Green Bay Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers called on the league to fix its issues with roughing the passer. While Rodgers used a national stage to blast the NFL, Mike Vrabel took a different approach.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Vrabel responded to the NFL’s weekly email attaching its officiating video that goes out to every coach and general manager. The Titans” coach reportedly used the ‘reply all’ function to send a clear message to his peers and league officials, NFL officiating and the rules themselves need to be fixed this offseason.
Related: NFL to consider changes to roughing the passer penalties
“I appreciate the time and energy that goes into these videos, but I suggest we devote every minute of our officiating departments’ time ensuring our officiating crews are as well trained in the clarifications we worked to create in the off season and that each crew is as consistent as possible. Thank you.”
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel’s email to NFL on officiating
Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl champion and a member of the New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team at linebacker, knows changes won’t happen overnight. While the NFL can offer some instructions to its referees, real change won’t happen until the season ends and the NFL competition committee meets to discuss player safety and rule changes for the 2023 season.
The 47-year-old’s frustration is certainly shared by many around pro football. As Schefter reported, both coaches and league executives are frustrated by the maddening lack of consistency from officials and when certain rules are enforced.
Suggestions have been made by Jones and others in the league to make roughing the passer penalty available to be reviewed by instant replay. However, it remains uncertain if that will be seriously considered just a few seasons removed from the NFL’s failed one-year experiment when pass interference could be reviewed.
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When the competition committee reviews the rules regarding roughing the passer, it will also look at the data to determine how many times it was called and what influence it had on the outcome of a game. If there aren’t enough instances of it being a recurring issue that occurs too often, it’s very possible only minor changes are made.