NFL’s Dean Blandino: Terrell Suggs’s hit on Sam Bradford was legal

Kelly did not explicitly say that he believed the hit to be cheap, but Bradford and lineman Jason Peters filled in those gaps for their coach, according to CSN Philly. “Sam wasn’t going anywhere. If you watched him, he handed the ball off”.

Having a reactionary call to a quarterback because everyone knows he is an injury risk is not how to play the game however if it were the regular season a penalty that big might have not been called. “They weren’t any worse than we were”. “Everybody in the league runs shotgun runs”. We’re blocking the back side.

If the quarterback is reading a single defender and either handing off or keeping it based on who that defender is looking to hit, the quarterback is going to take some hits either as he hands off or just after doing so. “There is probably some gray area as to what a zone read is”. “[Blandino] said it was a read-option play, but it wasn’t a read-option play”.

Not all of what they did was true read-option – in which a quarterback run is a scripted possibility on almost every play and not just a rip cord to pull – but there was enough of it that defenses were grappling with how to contain it, and sometimes confused about how their attempts would be officiated. “I mean, we run sweep, power, counter, trap, all those things out of the gun. But then every other quarterback in the league, when they get back in the shotgun, can be hit when they hand the ball off. Everybody in the league has runs out of the shotgun”. But he also anxious about the future repercussions if quarterbacks are targeted on straight handoffs, whether it’s in the shotgun formation or not. “That’s up to the league”.

The NFL said Suggs’ hit on Bradford was fine because it was a read-option play and Bradford could have kept it and run. That’s not my responsibility to update you on the rules. “You wanna come hit me, hit me in the chest”. I eased up. I asked (referee) Jerome (Boger) did he know the rules in preseason.

Kelly hasn’t talked to Suggs. He was a little high with some of his throws, but he moved the Eagles downfield crisply, en route to a 7-0 lead, on Ryan Mathews’ 14-yard touchdown run, on which Mathews was not touched.

One could argue that Suggs looked to be targeting Bradford’s knees, as he torpedoed toward the QB’s legs. He’s coming off two major knee surgeries and could be susceptible to some ugly, potentially devastating hits in this offense.

“I think so…I think he planned it”.

Blandino said the roughing the passer penalty that was given to Suggs was not the right call and quarterbacks are not protected in that situation. “I’m sure that’s not the last time that’s going to happen this year”. You be the judge, if the hit was late or not. That’s the way the rule’s been explained to us. “But I think he’s happy, just got his chance to get back on the field and play football again”.