If the NFL really wants to protect quarterbacks, here are 2 rule changes that would go a long way:
1) NO MORE INTENTIONAL GROUNDING penalties. Any time a QB wants to cry uncle and avoid contact, he merely has to throw the ball away anywhere he wants. Throw it down on the ground or try to hit the beer vendor in row 20. I bet each quarterback would develop his own signature bailout the way each Japanese ramen house chef uniquely shakes his or her noodle basket. (And, no, ‘his noodle basket’ isn’t a euphemism for anything. It’s an actual basket for ramen noodles.)
2) NO MORE PENALTIES ON LINEMEN. Let NFL line play become essentially 5 UFC bouts on every snap. Let them fight it out. Face mask, false start, and off sides can still be penalties, but otherwise use the same rules UFC fighters follow.
Laugh if you wish, but every NFL fan is tired of 2 things: injuries to key quarterbacks and too many penalties.
