RPS?

[bossman72]

3rd and 30.  QB drops back to pass and is sacked with a helmet to helmet hit by B55 and flag is thrown.  Would this just be a personal foul or roughing the passer?

[NWA_UMP]

Personal foul...pass was not thrown yet.

[mbyron]

I think you mean RTP, but NWA is correct that you can't have roughing without a passer. He's not a passer simply because he wants to throw a pass: he must actually throw a (legal) pass to be afforded protection under the RTP provisions. And then he's protected until the pass ends or he moves to participate in the play.

[bossman72]

I think you mean RTP, but NWA is correct that you can't have roughing without a passer. He's not a passer simply because he wants to throw a pass: he must actually throw a (legal) pass to be afforded protection under the RTP provisions. And then he's protected until the pass ends or he moves to participate in the play.

RPS is the correct abbreviation according to the CCA manual. 

Thanks for the response to the play.  I was agreeing with you but I vaguely remember someone saying that any personal foul against the QB is roughing.

[Atlanta Blue]

There is no such penalty as "helmet to helmet" in FED rules.  If he leads with the helmet anywhere, it's IHC.

[bigjohn]

He didn't say it was a foul or a penalty, just described the contact as the rulebook does on page 83


CONTACT BOTH TO AND WITH THE HELMET
Over the years the NFHS Football Rules Committee has repeatedly emphasized the need
to keep the HEAD OUT OF FOOTBALL, due to the potential for catastrophic head and neck
injuries. Some form of helmet review or illegal helmet contact emphasis has been specifically
targeted by the committee in its publications for review by coaches and officials 22
times since 1980. In the past few years, all levels of football have increased the focus on
decreasing the risk of concussion, and it is widely conceded that one of the biggest steps
in this effort is to eliminate direct helmet-to-helmet contact and any other contact both by
and to the helmet.
Any initiation of contact with the helmet is illegal; therefore, there must be a focus on
enforcing the existing rules. This year, the committee is taking the step to emphasize all
types of illegal helmet contact:

[FBUmp]

RPS is the correct abbreviation according to the CCA manual. 

Thanks for the response to the play.  I was agreeing with you but I vaguely remember someone saying that any personal foul against the QB is roughing.

Yes, but this is the National Federation Rules Discussion forum.  We don't use the CCA manual.