By Bill Bradley, contributing editor
NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said Friday any player who is throwing a pass is protected under the "defenseless player" rule. He said passers are covered under two protections.
"Forceful contact to the head and neck," he said during his weekly video review of topical rules. "And contact with the crown or the forehead part of the helmet to the body."
He said the latter is why San Francisco 49ers defensive end Quinton Dial received a personal foul penalty for his hit against Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler last Sunday.
"It's not just head and neck protection," he said. "It's protection from the crown and the forehead/hairline parts of the helmet to the body. And this part of the rule is intended just as much for the player making the contact as it is for the player receiving the contact."
He pointed out examples of legal contact during the Houston Texans-Washington Redskins game and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-St. Louis Rams game.
He also reiterated that reviews have to be conclusive for calls to be overturned by instant replay. For instance, he used a reception last Sunday by Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
"Remember, it has to be indisputable that the call on the field is incorrect in order to overturn," Blandino said. "The receiver loses the ball almost simultaneous in hitting the ground. It's not indisputable that he completed the process of the full catch."