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

Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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.”

DeMeco Ryans defends Azeez Al-Shaair and blasts the Jacksonville Jaguars for their overreaction after Al-Shaair’s hit on Trevor Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/PcbGRQdLdK

— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) December 2, 2024
“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.”

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Roger Goodell must act to stop Patrick Mahomes from getting other QBs rocked on slides
Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair should be suspended for his dirty hit on Trevor Lawrence, but DeMeco Ryans has a point about quarterbacks trying to take advantage of the slide rule.
By Alicia de Artola | Dec 2, 2024

Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) slides against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) slides against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) December 5, 2021
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