During Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers star quarterback Cam Newton suffered a brutal hit to the head after scrambling for a first down as slid to give himself up.
Newton was nailed in the head by a low launching tackle from Falcons safety Damontae Kazee, who was ejected shortly after. Following the game, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera voiced that he believes Newton is comfortable with the safety that the new rules have applied to the game, according to David Newton of ESPN.
“I would like to think he feels that things are in place to protect him and protect the rest of the quarterbacks,” Carolina coach Ron Rivera said Monday as he discussed Sunday's 31-24 loss. “The awareness has most certainly been heightened.
Over the last several years, the NFL has taken more precautionary measures with their rules to help further ensure the safety of quarterbacks. This has seen them penalize hits at knee level, after passes are thrown, and now launching in order to prevent further injuries from happening. Kazee may have thought that Newton was going to continue to run, but he wound up sliding to avoid that extra contact.
These situations will continue to arise, but the frequency of them occurring should take a significant turn down because of repercussions that are involved with penalties and possible ejections. There are stiff consequences for plays like this that alter the outcome of games.
Only time will tell if these new rules will have the impact and effect on the game that is hoped to help keep quarterbacks safe from possible injuries.
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