Week 3, however, provided an example of the flip side to the equation.
Miami Dolphins defensive end Williams Hayes was fully aware of the league's emphasis on the rule when he sacked Oakland RaidersDerek Carr in the second quarter. Hayes appeared to kick out his right leg to prevent landing on Carr, but the motion resulted in Hayes tearing an ACL.
"I wish the guy would have just landed on me instead of tearing his ACL," Carr said Wednesday, via Michael Gelhken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "For him to tear his ACL, nobody wants that. I don't want that."
Carr isn't alone in not wanting to see defensive players suffer injuries while attempting to hold back when going after a quarterback.
Houston Texans signal-caller Deshaun Watson understands why the rule is in place, but expressed concern over the league-wide 34 roughing the passer penalties since the regular season started.
"I'm cool with it because I want to be safe and sound, but at the same time, let's play football," Watson said, via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "It goes both ways. Some of the times, when the defensive guys are trying to hold up, they get hurt. I'm the quarterback, and I'm being honest with you, let the guys play and see how it goes."
In the meantime, the building controversy over the rule, which is arguably beginning to mirror past confusion over what is a catch, isn't going anywhere in the near future.
The NFL Competition Committee will hold a regularly scheduled teleconference with the media next week, and New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, a member of the committee, said Wednesday morning that some of the called infractions over a player intentionally placing body weight on a quarterback should not have drawn a penalty flag.
Nevertheless, the more infractions surrounding roughing the passer that could occur in Week 4 are sure to add to angst around the league, and make for a spirited conference call.
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner agrees with many of his peers that the new rule is perhaps causing too much confusion among the players, pointing to Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews' most recent infraction.
"To me, that was a great football play, a great move at the line of scrimmage," Warner said. "He ran through the quarterback, he wrapped him, he didn't pick him up, he didn't throw him down, he just happened to land on him. Because that what happens in football. When you tackle a guy in front of you, you land on him. ...
"Now, I love taking the helmet out of the game. I love, you can't drop and use your helmet as a weapon, because that protects everybody, the person getting hit and the person that is making the hit. But these plays are ridiculous and it's gotten so far that it's just hard for everybody on the defense now to know what to do."
