CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Former NFL official Gerry Austin doesn’t know why Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has gone since 2014 without drawing obvious roughing the passer penalties, but he has a solution.
An eighth official.
Austin said the NFL needs to dedicate an eighth official to pay sole attention to what is happening to the quarterback in and out of the pocket. He said the referee has too much responsibility having to watch the quarterback and the tackle to see everything.
“A referee needs to have only one player to watch once the snap occurs, and that’s the quarterback,’’ said Austin, who contributes to ESPN broadcasts regarding the performance of officials.