Ball don’t lie: 3 worst calls from Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season

Week 1 of the NFL season often serves as an extended preseason for some of the best players in football. It turns out the officials followed suit.

Tom Brady continued to look like an ageless wonder, while Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were hit with an early reality check. Week 1 was full of surprises, and more of the same.

But perhaps the greatest development was stadiums packed with fans, something that was so clearly missing from last season’s antics. No one on the field was more aware of this than the officiating crews, who heard every last row of supporters boo when they dared to make a call against the home team.

It was a beautiful site, but not for the zebras.

Maybe it was the fans, or perhaps they were a bit rusty, but Week 1 was an obvious reminder that those who judge football for a living are far from perfect.

3 worst calls from Week 1: What is roughing the passer?

If you tune into this column week-in and week-out, odds are you’ll see a number of borderline roughing the passer calls brought to your attention. It’s the way of the game, as officials must determine if a defender used blunt force on a quarterback, or failed to make a legal tackle in between the mid-level thigh and shoulders.

So, what exactly is roughing the passer? Straight from the rulebook:

"“Because the act of passing often puts the quarterback (or any other player attempting a pass) in a position where he is particularly vulnerable to injury, special rules against roughing the passer apply. The Referee has principal responsibility for enforcing these rules. Any physical acts against a player who is in a passing posture (i.e. before, during, or after a pass) which, in the Referee’s judgment, are unwarranted by the circumstances of the play will be called as fouls.”"

So, that’s super vague, but officials are guided by some key principles. First, if the ball has left the passer’s hand and he is driven into the ground, then a call must be made. Second, a defender cannot drive the quarterback into the ground, or wrestle/drive him down. Third, no helmet-to-helmet, or using other body parts for unnecessary force. And lastly, no clubbing, hitting in the knee area, or punishing a QB who is “fading backwards”. It’s all here, if you’re interested.

So, anyway, Za’Darius Smith did none of these things on this tackle.

Yes, Jameis Winston was leveled, but he was tackled in a legal position and with the shoulder-pads. There is no extra forced used, and per the rule itself that is…the wrong call. Unsurprisingly, Packers fans were furious.