First and foremost, we sincerely wish for the health of Chris Olave, who had to be stretchered off the field during the game against the Carolina Panthers this weekend. The wide receiver took a nasty hit in the middle of the field after a pass from QB Derek Carr ended up sandwiching him between two of the Panthers’ defensive players. That pass is now being referred to as a hospital ball, and it’s clear why.
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Robert Griffin III was the one who labeled the pass a hospital ball and also discussed such risky plays that QBs should absolutely avoid. Otherwise, these injuries will keep occurring.
“Quarterbacks are throwing way too many hospital balls in the NFL,” the former quarterback said in his X video.
“Just because DBs can’t hit wide receivers and pass catches like they used to 10 years ago, doesn’t mean that we should be making bad decisions throwing the football across the middle of the field. It is our job as quarterbacks to protect our pass catches,” he continued.
Throwing WRs hospital balls is NEVER OKAY.
Hate to see what happened to Chris Olave and we as QBs have to stop doing it.
It has become even more of a thing in the NFL because DBs can’t hit WRs the way they could 10 years ago.
Rules changes have led to worse QB play and… pic.twitter.com/uEBfzrgYJS
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) November 3, 2024
After the ball is snapped, it all comes down to the quarterback’s decision on where to place his pass. He always has the option to throw away from the opposing tacklers or to make a throw that leaves the wide receiver as a target for the defenders, which is arguably what Derek Carr did by throwing to Olave.
Even the NFL GOAT Tom Brady dislikes these types of plays. He wholeheartedly believes that when it comes to protecting the ball carriers, it’s the quarterbacks’ job to ensure their safety.
Tom Brady’s strongly worded opinion on quarterbacks’ mindfulness
When it comes to safety, the seven-time Super Bowl champ has been an advocate for keeping the sport free and not imposed by too many rules. He was widely criticized in the past for his comments about the current state of the NFL being “too soft” and lacking the same roughhousing as it used to.
it’s the quarterback’s job to protect his ball carriers, Brady believes. Even with roughhousing in play, the QB should be cautious when passing the ball in the middle of the field, as it could sideline his receiver for several weeks or, worse, for the entire season.
He wrote via Instagram:
“QBs should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits. Coaches need to coach better, QBs needs to read coverages and throw the ball to the right places and defenders should aim for the right hitting areas.”
What do you think about this? Should the QB protect his ball carriers more? Let us know in the comments below.
