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Heading into the 2024 NFL regular season, New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers is the oldest starting quarterback in the league at 40. He is the only starter 40 or older, but older quarterbacks may become more of the norm, at least if you ask one former player.
Former NFL Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman believes that with the rule changes regarding quarterback protection, players at the position will be able to stay in the league longer. Aikman, who retired at 34, said if he were in the league now, he wouldn’t have suffered as many injuries.
The Hall of Famer had back problems that plagued his career and he thinks things would be different if he was protected like QBs are these days.
“I would probably say the protection on the quarterback,” Aikman said on This Is Football, pointing to what the most major change is. “I played 12 years. I would’ve played much longer.”
He played from 1989 to 2000, winning three Super Bowls during that time and could’ve extended his career had those back issues not caught up to him. Comparing the hits he took with what he sees now, Aikman noticed a stark difference.
“Quarterbacks just aren’t taking the punishment we took when I played,” Aikman said. “Any time a quarterback does get hit they’re immediately looking for a flag. I should put together a highlight reel of the worst hits that I took, and you would think these players would probably be banned from the NFL, and there wasn’t even a penalty on the play. It’s changed a lot, for sure.”
Some rules that impact the safety of the quarterback include:
Rule 12 Section 2 Article 8 – Unnecessary roughness: Includes, but not limited to running, diving into, or throwing the body against or on a runner whose forward progress has been stopped, who has slid feet first, or who has declared himself down by going to the ground untouched and has made no attempt to advance.Rule 12 Section 2 Article 9 – Players in a…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/troy-aikman-says-todays-qbs-take-easier-hits-thinks-playing-past-40-will-be-new-norm-for-position/
Author : Shanna McCarriston
Publish date : 2024-09-05 18:30:36
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