Roger Goodell must act to stop Patrick Mahomes from getting other QBs rocked on slides

The hit Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair laid on Trevor Lawrence was the talk of the NFL weekend. Calls rang out for Al-Shaair to be suspended for knocking the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback out after he'd given himself up by sliding.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans wanted to start a different conversation. And so did some folks on social media.

In the course of defending his linebacker, Ryans pointed out how difficult quarterbacks make it for defenders to determine if they're going to give themselves up. He accused some QBs of "trying to take advantage of the rule."

"A lot of the quarterbacks are trying to take advantage of the rule where they slide late and they try to get an extra yard," Ryans said. "A lot of onus is on the defender...you don't know what a guy is thinking. You don't know if a guy is staying up, if he's continuing to run. You don't know and you get a late slide and you hit the guy."

Patrick Mahomes is notorious for fake slides and give ups

Even before Ryans brought that issue up, people on social media were calling attention to something Patrick Mahomes has been doing for awhile: fake giving up.

Famously, Kenny Pickett scored a touchdown by faking a slide in college.

These examples may seem like heads up plays by the quarterbacks, but they contribute to situations like Lawrence's hit.

If defenders, running at full speed, have to calculate whether a quarterback is going to slide right up to the point where their backside actually hits the ground, they're far more likely to make late contact.

None of this excuses Al-Shaiir. He didn't make accidental contact, certainly not when he led with his forearm to lay the wood. Still, if that moment sparks a general discussion about quarterback slides, that's not the worst outcome.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell needs to address this. First, he should suspend Al-Shaiir for the hit. Then, the league should make fake slides illegal and penalize quarterbacks for simulation. Make it a point of emphasis. There are already a million rules in football putting defenders at a disadvantage, it's time to give them something in return.