Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians believes leaps over the snapper on field goals—which happened twice in Arizona’s 6-6 tie with the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday night—should be outlawed from the game.
He said the play is “bad for football” and “dangerous for players.”
“The competition committee went through that play, and officials wanted it taken out,” Arians said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “The committee left it in, but it cannot be officiated. Whether he touches, whether it was leverage, was his foot within the framework of the defensive lineman’s feet before he jumped, all those things that go into that call, I think it’s bad for football.”
Arians said players will have to adjust to athletic defenders attempting to jump over the center and block the kick.
“Because what you’re going to have to do now is start having centers raise their face up and get kicked in the face and things that are just dangerous to the players,” Arians said. “I think it’s a dangerous play as it is and should be taken out of the game.”
Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner twice leaped over the Cardinals snapper on field goals on Sunday night. On the first, Wagner blocked Chandler Catanzaro’s 39-yard field goal attempt—and no penalty was called despite Wagner’s foot making contact with the snapper. He jumped over the center again in overtime on Arizona’s missed field goal from 24 yards.
Arians was fuming after the game about the no-calls.
“He touched him,” Arians said, via ESPN. “You saw it. Did you see it? Didn’t he touch him? Yeah, he sure did. It sure looked like it to me, but it was not ruled that way, same with the last [field goal attempt in overtime]. He definitely touched him.”
The NFL ruled both plays legal. According to the rule book, incidental contact is allowed when leaping over the snapper.
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