is quickly becoming the NFL's new "Did that player lower his helmet too much?" or "What [url=http://www.patriotscheapshops.com/...ic-shaq-mason-jersey]Shaq Mason Jersey[/url] , exactly, is a catch?"It's a fundamental element of football — how a pass-rusher is allowed to bring a QB down to the ground — and no one really seems to be clear on it at the moment.Not Clay Matthews, the Packers linebacker who's been flagged for roughing the passer in each of Green Bay's three games this season. Not Alex Smith, the Redskins quarterback who was sacked by Matthews with about as straightforward a tackle as can be on Sunday. Not Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who yelled at two officials after the call. Not players on either team or on either side of the ball."Unfortunately this league is going in a direction that a lot of people don't like. I think they're getting soft. The only thing hard about this league is the fines they levy down on guys like me that play the game hard," Matthews said after Green Bay's 31-17 loss at Washington."Nine years, I've been doing it one way in the NFL, successfully, and now it just seems as if that way doesn't work anymore. And that's frustrating," Matthews said with a huge sigh."I don't run the league office," he said, "but you'd like to see football be football."Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9 (b) of the NFL rulebook says that "a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw (a passer) down or land on top of him with all or most of the defender's weight. Instead, the defensive player must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player's arms and not land on the passer with all or most of his body weight."That rule has been around for years, but the league's competition committee made it a point of emphasis this season. More than 30 roughing-the-passer penalties were called in this season's first two weeks alone."That was basically my key — that he landed on him with most or all of his body weight," referee Craig Wrolstad told a pool reporter Sunday."But if you've got a shoulder into him and then landed on him with most of his body weight off him or released him when he went down, then he would have been OK," Wrolstad said. "But in my judgment, I ruled that he landed on him with most or all of his body weight there."If the 15-yard penalty was assessed correctly in this instance, count McCarthy and Matthews among those who think that rule needs to be rewritten or, at the very least, reinterpreted."Somehow [url=http://www.patriotscheapshops.com/...en-gostkowski-jersey]Cheap Stephen Gostkowski Jersey[/url] ," Packers defensive lineman Kenny Clark said, "we've got to find a way to grab the quarterback and twirl our body and not land on the quarterback."Sounds impossible."What do you want the man to do?" said one of Smith's defensive teammates, Josh Norman. "When I saw it, it was not malicious, ill intent. It was just a nice form tackle."Another Redskins defender, safety D.J. Swearinger, sided with Matthews, too."They're making the game less fun," Swearinger said. "He made a great play. That's crazy."In case you missed it, here are other top topics after the NFL season's third Sunday:NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHINGNo way to know what is going to happen week to week in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills — considered by some the worst team in the league — and rookie QB Josh Allen went on the road as 16陆-point underdogs and roughed up Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings 27-6. The Redskins — coming off a 12-point loss to the Colts — thumped Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The Detroit Lions went from 0-2 to 26-10 winners over Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the rest of the New England Patriots, who have lost by double digits twice in a row. The club that beat the Patriots by 11 last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars, turned in a stinker, a 9-6 loss to the Tennessee Titans, who started Blaine Gabbert.WATCHU TALKIN' 'BOUT, WILSON?The Miami Dolphins are off to a 3-0 start, thanks in part to a unique performance by receiver Albert Wilson in a 28-20 victory over Jon Gruden's winless Oakland Raiders. Wilson became only the fourth player in NHL history to throw a TD pass of at least 50 yards and catch a TD pass of at least 50 yards in the same game.Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at ://HowardFendrich The Detroit Lions have beaten Aaron Rodgers- and Tom Brady-led teams this season.And yes, they still have a losing record.Detroit has provided glimpses of its potential, beating the Green Bay Packers 31-23 on Sunday in their first home game since dominating the New England Patriots.The Lions (2-3) have also shown they have plenty of weaknesses, which were on display in a 31-point loss to the New York Jets at home and during comeback attempts that fell short on the road against Dallas and San Francisco.Matthew Stafford has had time to throw this season behind an improved offensive line and he has one of the NFL's best trio of receivers: Kenny Golladay, Golden Tate and Marvin Jones. Rookie Kerryon Johnson and veteran LeGarrette Blount have giving the team a running game it hasn't had in years. And, the Lions are also having some success on defense under first-year coach Matt Patricia [url=http://www.patriotscheapshops.com/...-malcom-brown-jersey]Cheap Malcom Brown Jersey[/url] , whose scheme gave Rodgers and Brady problems.Just don't ask Detroit's coaches or players to explain how they can look so good in one game and not so good in another because they can't explain it."This is the way you want to play the game, out in front and to not have to come back," said Stafford, who helped the Lions lead 24-0 at halftime. "I just think that we had a great week of practice and it showed in the game."Here are some other takeaways from the Packers-Lions game.MASON MISSESGreen Bay kicker Mason Crosby cost his team 13 points, missing a career-high four field goals in a game along with an extra point."I don't usually get this much attention unless I've done something really good or really bad," Crosby said, surrounded by reporters. "This one is unfortunately really bad."EMERGING STARGolladay had four receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown, which helped the Lions lead 31-14 in the fourth quarter. His play of the day was a 60-yard reception in which he leaped to catch while covered closely by cornerback Josh Jackson and went on to stiff-arm safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix onto his back."He's obviously a big kid, physical kid, can run, wants to be a really good player," Stafford said.The 6-foot-4, 213-pound Golladay has 27 receptions for 428 yards and three TDs this season. The second-year pro, who was a third-round pick from Northern Illinois, had 28 receptions for 477 yards and three scores as a rookie.PIVOTAL PENALTIESGreen Bay was flagged 12 times for 112 yards and one of most costly penalty allowed Detroit to convert a third down. After stopping Golladay short of a first down in the third quarter, rookie safety Tony Brown stood over him and was penalized for taunting."The negatives that you want to talk about is really about the penalties," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.NOT A COINCIDENCEThe Lions entered the game giving up an NFL-high 158 yards rushing per game. They allowed Green Bay to gain just 98 yards. That forced Rodgers to pass 52 times, the third-highest total of his career, for 442 yards, the second-highest total of his career.Detroit had kept only one other team to fewer than 100 yards rushing this season and that was the Patriots, the only other team it beat this season.WHAT'S NEXTGreen Bay (2-2-1) will have an extra day of rest and preparation before hosting San Francisco on Oct. 15. The Lions are off until Oct. 21 when they play at Miami.
