Indianapolis Colts legend, Robert Mathis, had a critique of current pass rushers after watching the NFL playoffs.
Last week’s Divisional Round is being lauded as the best playoff weekend in NFL History. Each game had its own drama and they all ended on the final play.
Many left the weekend talking about how stellar the quarterback play was. From Matthew Stafford to Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, elite quarterbacks were the theme.
Even Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, tweeted about it, maybe thinking about what his team needs to adjust.
However, another person dear to the Colts had a different takeaway. That was Robert Mathis. While Mathis acknowledged the play of quarterbacks and receivers, he criticized pass rushers for allowing quarterbacks to be comfortable.
Oh yes I have a Stern REBUKE For passrushers here (Except Titans Bc 10sacks and a loss is clearly not on them) but if you beat OLs, harass their QB, he can’t throw the ball to all these pass catchers that made last weekend of playoff football so legendary!!!! #YouWillHearMe1Day https://t.co/dTLj4lSQSu
— ROBERT MATHIS QBH8r (@RobertMathis98) January 25, 2022
Robert Mathis tells pass rushers to “harass” quarterbacks
Mathis is a man with 123 career sacks, the 27th-most all-time, just one spot behind his running mate Dwight Freeney. He knows a thing or two about getting after the quarterback.
Mathis said he had a “stern REBUKE”, all caps, so he definitely was passionate about this message. That makes sense, considering a fierce defender of his stature had to watch players like Mahomes and Allen prance around the field without much consequence.
Pass defense starts up front, and if pass rushers can keep quarterbacks under constant pressure, a big day through the air is unlikely.
But in fairness to today’s pass rushers, they can’t harass quarterbacks to the same extent that Mathis could in his day. The current rulebook leaves very little room for any pestering of the quarterback.
Telling a quarterback “good pass”, too aggressively, may result in a costly 15-yard penalty. So, pass rushers do have to find the middle ground between being aggressive and smart.
Overall, Mathis is right, pass rushers need to take it to another level. Really, the defense as a whole. Although the rule book favors the offense, there’s room for some defenses to step up and play the game with more pride.
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