Threaded Fasteners Tighten Up: QB protection rules need to be altered

The rules protecting quarterbacks have to be overhauled.

Never was this more obvious than on championship Saturday.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett made a spectacular 58-yard touchdown run on the first possession for the Panthers in the ACC Championship Game. The run was made possible by a very clever fake slide followed by a sprint to the end zone.

When Pickett showed he was going to slide, the defense let up as they are required to do.

In the SEC Championship Game, Georgia’s Stetson Bennett literally skipped down the sideline as he extended the ball for a first down. If an Alabama player had gone to hit him, he would have stepped out of bounds and drawn a 15-yard penalty. So they pulled up and let his get the first down.

I don’t blame Pickett or Bennett. But the rules have got to be fair. If these quarterbacks choose to run the ball, they should be treated just like a running back. Until then, quarterbacks would be wise to implement these tactics into their games.

It’s time to Tighten Up this loophole in the rules.

For Threaded Fasteners, I’m Randy Kennedy with Tighten Up.