oughing-the-passer penalties that has generated head-scratching calls — and a season-ending injury to a defender trying to comply with the league's mandate not to land fully on the quarterback.In the offseason Cheap Braden Smith Jersey , NFL owners asked the league's competition committee to better protect their prized quarterbacks after Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr broke Packers star Aaron Rodgers' collarbone in 2017.So the league dusted off a rarely invoked 24-year-old rule that outlaws defenders from landing on the quarterback with more than half of their body weight."It helps me out because I'm a quarterback," said Deshaun Watson of the Texans. "But some of the calls are just kind of crazy."So inconsistent, in fact, that Packers linebacker Clay Matthews , whose been whistled three times, suggested the league has gone soft. He argued that what constitutes a clean hit is anybody's guess nowadays.Defenders who are only allowed to target a strike zone basically consisting of the torso now must also concern themselves with breaking the quarterback's fall. Or at least doing a "gator roll" where they spin the QB as they tumble to the turf.The gator roll is "an unnatural move when you are trying to tackle a big guy" like Ben Roethlisberger or Andrew Luck, said Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. "They will shrug you off."Broncos linebacker Shane Ray said the gator roll isn't even an option much of the time."Sometimes you're at an awkward angle or you might be pushed into him," Ray said. "It's chaotic in there when you've got all these bodies flying around."Trying to keep the quarterback safe can also be dangerous to a defender, as it was Sunday when Dolphins DE William Hayes tore his right ACL trying to avoid landing on Raiders QB Derek Carr."They don't care about the rest of us getting hurt. Long as the QB is safe," fumed 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman when he retweeted a video clip of Hayes getting hurt ."Let's keep it honest, that rule is a tough rule to gauge," Dolphins defensive tackle Akeem Spence said. "Will is going to make a play, trying to sack the quarterback and then roll off at the end, not trying to put all of his weight and get a sack taken away. He ended up being hurt, and it sucks, because he's trying to protect the quarterback while still trying to make a play."There have been 34 roughing-the-passer calls so far. While that works out to just one flag for every 100 pass attempts, it represents a massive increase over previous years. There were 16 such penalties through three weeks last season and 20 the year before that.The lack of consistency and clarity is why "I don't like the rule," said Fox's Troy Aikman, whose Hall of Fame career was cut short by the battering he took during a 12-year stint as Cowboys quarterback."I think the league overreacted, and I think they will continue to look at it with the controversy that's been created," Aikman said, adding the strict interpretation of the 1995 rule "changes the outcome of games and ultimately will cost some coaches their jobs."There's only been a handful of flags, meanwhile Cheap T.Y. Hilton Jersey , for players lowering their helmet, another point of emphasis, showing that players, coaches and officials have all adjusted accordingly to that rule change.Two people with knowledge of the agenda told The Associated Press that in the regularly scheduled competition committee conference call next week, the roughing-the-passer calls will be discussed. While neither anticipates a change in the rules themselves, it's possible a de-emphasizing of the "full weight" portion of the rule could occur.That point of emphasis this year has led to all kinds of contentious calls, none more prominent than Matthews' seemingly legal hit in Week 2 that wiped out a clinching interception of Kirk Cousins, who subsequently rallied the Vikings to a 29-29 tie."Roughing the Passer calls are absolutely out of control," Texans star defender J.J. Watt tweeted during the Steelers-Buccaneers Monday night game that featured four such flags.Although Matthews' hit on Cousins wasn't deemed a body weight violation, the league's emphasis on roughing calls clearly played a role in referee Tony Corrente ruling that when Matthews "hit the quarterback, he lifted him and drove him into the ground."Many critics didn't buy that explanation nor the justifications for the other calls."I love the NFL - but it's crazy the (numbers) being put up by QBs & WRs due to fact that D can't hit them anymore & can't lay hands on them downfield," tweeted Hall of Famer Kurt Warner , the architect of the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf.""Everyone is running free the entire game (or it's a penalty)! Don't get me wrong I LOVE Offense, but better when it's a fair fight."The last two men who served as the NFL's head of officiating — Mike Pereira and Dan Blandino — said the league went too far in emphasizing roughing the quarterback and will back off soon because officials are throwing too many flags on plays where the QB isn't even in danger of getting hurt."I think we all have felt like it has gone a little too far," said Pereira, now an analyst for Fox Sports.Pereira said the NFL could tamp down the furor over the rule by having officials only throw flags when defenders lift the quarterback and drive him into the ground — although he disagrees that's what Matthews did to Cousins."We all are pretty much in agreement the Clay Matthews hit on Kirk Cousins really shouldn't be a foul, and I believe that's what the competition committee believes," Pereira said. "How literal do we need to interpret a rule?"Former NFL referee Terry McAulay, now an analyst for NBC, notes the focal point needs to be on whether the defender's hit included "unnecessary" actions. He refers to a graphic of the rule used on Sunday night's Patriots-Lions telecast."We've highlighted a couple of words. One is the word 'unnecessarily,' and it says a defender should not unnecessarily land on the quarterback," McAulay explained. "There is nothing about this play (by Matthews on Alex Smith) that is unnecessary. He's coming off a block and he makes a legal form tackle, and he just happens to end up on top of the quarterback."The graphic also notes "strive to wrap up.""That tells me that it needs to be avoidable. Well http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-skai-moore-jersey , there's nothing unavoidable about this play," McAulay said. "It just shouldn't be a foul. I understand technically that it is by rule."Broncos star Von Miller , who leads the league with 87 1-2 sacks since his rookie year in 2011, said he's not sure how he's supposed to tackle the quarterback anymore, so he'll just stick with his signature move."I like going for the ball," said Miller.Because going for the sack is becoming as perilous for the pass rusher as it is for the quarterback. If the first six games of the season were an example of what it looks like when everything goes wrong, this game was an example of what happens when everything goes right. No tipped or batted passes from Luck were intercepted. No fumbles handing the ball over to the opponent in Colts territory. A 4th and 1 at midfield that converts and keeps the offensive drive going.Everything went right. Okay, kicker Adam Vinatieri had an awful day and is clearly suffering from some physical limitation — he was listed with a groin injury a couple of weeks ago. Also, Ryan Kelly snapped the ball early and ended up giving up a safety. So, not everything went right — but still.This was the coming out party for the offensive line and running back Marlon Mack. The second half against the Jets showed signs of real improvement for the running game. Today validated that performance.The Colts finished with 220 rushing yards. They averaged 5.9 yards per carry, which is more impressive when you consider that they rushed the ball 37 times. For the first time in quite awhile, Indianapolis ran the ball considerably more than they passed. Andrew Luck threw the ball 23 times, completing 17 of those attempts for 156 yards and 4 touchdowns.The defense showed what it looks like when it plays with the lead. They were fully willing to give up chunks of yards on the ground but unwilling to allow Derek Anderson to get things going through the air. The defense finished with two sacks, including a strip sack by rookie Kemoko Turay that was recovered by second-year cornerback Quincy Wilson to setup a touchdown. Veteran safety Mike Mitchell has been outstanding since joining the team before the Jets game. Today, he forced a fumble in the first half that was recovered by Darius Leonard and collected one of the team’s three interceptions. For those who are wondering how impressed they should be by the offensive performance today, consider that Buffalo was one of the league’s toughest defenses entering the game. They were the third rated defense overall, allowing an average of only 311 total yards per game. They were the fifth rated passing defense, having allowed only 9 passing touchdowns through six weeks. They were the eighth rated run defense, allowing an average of only 92.5 yards per game through the first six weeks. One of their games pitted them against the Chargers’ tandem of Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon who combined for 105 rushing yards.There is no doubt that this young Colts team desperately needed a win. They have to feel really good about their performance on both sides of the ball and even better about their chances to put another full game together. As we mentioned earlier today, it isn’t wise for the Colts fan base to entertain hopes of a playoff berth. The team is a long way from that, for now.But progress. Strides. Moving in the right direction? If the team can keep showing signs of that, fans can start to feel good about the team’s future. That might be good enough for 2018.After a convincing win, with the Colts coming out on top 37 - 5 http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-kenny-moore-jersey , let’s revisit the keys to the game.ESTABLISH THE GROUND GAMEAs previously mentioned, the Colts generates a total of 220 rushing yards. They went over 100 yards rushing in each half. Marlon Mack generated 126 rushing yards on 19 carries, 6.6 yards per carry, and added a rushing touchdown. He also caught 2 passes for 33 yards and a receiving touchdown. Rookie Nyheim Hines took five carries for 47 yards, a 9.4 yards per carry average. He also caught one pass on a screen that lost 5 yards. Fellow rookie Jordan Wilkins took 6 carries for 46 yards, a 7.7 yards per carry average and hauled in one pass for an 8 yard gain.Every ball carrier had success on the ground, at all points in the game. In the past, we have seen the offense struggle to run against a defense when the opponent knows there will be a concerted effort to chew up the clock. Today, the offensive line continued to dominate up front and Buffalo was entirely helpless to stop it.PLAY AGGRESSIVELY IN THE SECONDARYWhile it is unfair to say that the Colts secondary was aggressive as a unit, safety Mike Mitchell has done his best to set the tone on the back end. He generated a fumble, snagged an interception late in the first half, and laid the wood on Buffalo ball carriers. Kenny Moore displayed his speed, breaking on the ball on a short pass across the middle for another interception.The unit is still giving quite a bit of cushion but, with the lead, real damage can be done. This game hearkened back to the Tampa 2 days with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Not so much because we had a dominant edge rush but more because the defense thrived with a lead and started to generate back breaking turnovers.GENERATE CONSISTENT PRESSUREFrankly, the Colts didn’t generate consistent pressure today. Derek Anderson spent much of the game getting rid of the ball quickly and it made for tough sledding up front.However, the pressure they did generate made a big impact. Margus Hunt batted down a pass that ended one of the Bills’ first half drives. Al Woods batted a pass that was nearly picked by Hunt. Jabaal Sheard had a first half sack that made life difficult for Buffalo. Finally, the biggest pressure came from Kemoko Turay coming around the edge to bat the ball out for a strip sack that was subsequently recovered by Quincy Wilson — who returned the ball down to the two yard line and setup a Colts touchdown.CATCH THE DAMN BALLOnly three of eight receivers didn’t catch every pass thrown their way. Nyheim Hines caught one pass on two targets. Marlon Mack caught two passes on three targets. Eric Ebron caught three passes on seven targets. A couple of passes bounced off of Ebron’s hands but they would have been difficult catches. Luck led him a bit too much on an out route. Another the ball sailed too high over the middle. It’s possible that he was legitimately to blame for one drop but if that’s the case, one drop for the game out of 23 passing attempts is something the team can live with.NO BACK BREAKING TURNOVERSIn what would have otherwise been a turnover free game, Ryan Kelly snapped the ball on the wrong count and saw it skate through the back of the end zone for a safety. It is somewhat frustrating to see an otherwise perfect day get blown up by a play like this but, thankfully, no real damage was done.