The NFL is sticking with its officiating emphasis on quarterback hits Ricardo Louis Jersey Stitched , including those in which the tackler uses all or most of his body weight when falling on the quarterback.NFL football operations chief Troy Vincent said Thursday that the powerful competition committee has clarified to game officials the techniques used in such hits, which have been a source of debate through the first three weeks of the schedule. Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews has been called for three of them, two of which appeared to be normal tackles.A lack of consistency on such calls also has been a source of contention throughout the league. In its regularly scheduled conference call, the committee reviewed video of such plays from 2017 and this year."In reiterating its position on quarterback protection," Vincent says, "the committee determined there would be no changes to the point of emphasis approved this spring, or to the rule of which the body weight provision has been in place since 1995."The inconsistency led Matthews to suggest the league has gone soft. He argued that what constitutes a clean hit is anybody's guess nowadays."I don't know if that statement really expresses how they're going to call it moving forward," he said Thursday, adding if it will be status quo, "If that's the case, that's truly unfortunate because I think I speak on behalf of everybody that doesn't like the rule and the way it's being called and the way it's being officiated." Furthermore after seeing the video Youth Derrick Kindred Jersey , too, all hits on the quarterback that came from straight on — which is what they teach you since peewee football with running backs, receivers or whatever, is to approach them head on if you can — those were all illegal hits, much like the two hits I had on Cousins and (Alex) Smith last week, which were conveniently left out of the video."Compounding the complaints: Dolphins DE William Hayes tore his right ACL trying to avoid landing on Raiders QB Derek Carr."He was trying to not put body weight on the quarterback," coach Adam Gase said of Hayes. "His foot got caught in the ground."He's one of our leaders and best run defender. That's going to be a tough one for us to swallow."Many of the calls have been difficult for defensive players and their coaches to swallow, and they've even gotten some support from quarterbacks."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."The competition committee's decision to remain with the status quo doesn't mean there will continue to be a flurry of such penalties. By clarifying the technique, the league is attempting to find some uniformity in the calls."I think we all have felt like it's all gone a little bit too far," said Fox analyst Mike Pereira Derrick Kindred Jersey Stitched , the former head of NFL officials. "But I think it'll seek a level that will get it back in sync with what the players think and what we all think."You know any time you put a new point of emphasis in, there's a point of adjustment to the players and the officials ... so again, an adjustment by both groups, the players and the officials."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.Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the top overall pick in the 2017 draft who had a roughing penalty in Week 1 rescinded by the league, sympathizes with Matthews and fellow defenders."It's ridiculous," he said Thursday. "I feel bad for Clay Matthews. He just can't win at this point right now. I mean I'm going to take them down how I have to. I saw what happened with Willie Hayes and that was, I wouldn't say depressing, but it was sad to see him doing his best to abide by the rules and get hurt."Garrett added he wouldn't risk injury to " lay him on the ground like he's a child."You just have to do what's best for you," he said. "He's going to be all right. Football is about getting hit and taking hits and giving hits. So if I get a penalty for saving my skin and trying to make big plays Youth Britton Colquitt Jersey , then, oh well."There's only been a handful of flags, meanwhile, for players lowering their helmet, another point of emphasis, showing that players, coaches and officials have all adjusted accordingly to that rule change.AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton and Sports Writers Tom Withers and Genaro C. Armas contributed.Jarvis Landry is a better player than prognosticator As the Cleveland Browns worked through the opening weekend of training camp, it became clear that Jarvis Landry is everything advertised as a wide receiver.Landry works as hard as anyone on the field, runs a precise route and, most importantly, catches everything thrown his way. Which Britton Colquitt Jersey Stitched , candidly (to borrow one of owner Jimmy Haslam’s favorite words), is a refreshing sight to behold.While Landry has been going through the opening days of camp, he also made some headlines thanks to a few predictions that he shared with Sports Illustrated’s Ben Baskin. The fifth-year veteran is fired up enough about the wave of change running through the Browns that he proclaimed that opposing defenses will be lucky of the Browns don’t score 40 or more points in a game. If that is not enough, he also stated that, “if we get everyone playing to their potential, we can win the Super Bowl this year.”It is refreshing to see a player in orange and brown have the moxie to say things like that with a straight face, and even better to know they have the on-field production to match those statements. But Browns fans need to take a deep breath and not buy too deeply into what Landry is selling. The idea of the Browns putting up 40 points on a regular basis, or even occasionally, is probably nothing more than a pleasant fantasy. The Browns have not had a top 10 scoring offense since 2007, and have ranked at No. 30 or worst six times since then. The team may also not have been as bad over the past two seasons as the 1-31 record suggests, but there are simply too many questions to realistically entertain the idea of a Super Bowl run Youth Joel Bitonio Jersey , let alone a fight for a playoff spot.That is not to dismiss Landry’s optimism, however.The offense should be better, thanks to Landry and the continued presence of running back Duke Johnson, along with the expected progress of wide receiver Cory Coleman and tight end David Njoku. The biggest change, of course, comes at the quarterback position, where Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield protect the ball in ways that 2017 starter DeShone Kizer can only dream of. The new faces at quarterback, along with the simple fact that teams can’t be unlucky every year, works in the Browns favor. As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out in a column this week:It is yet another new era in Cleveland, one that brings with it the accompanying optimism from players and fans. Things should be better this year - we shudder to think how they could get worse - but the more optimistic statements from Landry may still be a year or so off.