Gustavo Wright, who had a major influence on this year’s game, has been the game’s most vocal defender of the new rule.

After a day spent analyzing the rule, Wright felt like the game should stay as it is.

“With the new rule, it’s too harsh,” Wright said, referencing a call in the Seahawks-49ers game in which Marshawn Lynch was called for a roughing the passer penalty. “That wasn’t because we ran the ball too much or we threw a lot of passes, but the rule had to be changed. Guys get hit and they don’t really get punished, and that’s an unfair charge.

“After reviewing all the rules, and seeing everything we know about how the NFL runs our game, that doesn’t make it fair. It should be changed.”

Wright had an explanation for the ruling — a quarterback’s feet are only 14 yards from the line of scrimmage when a hit is made and the penalty cannot be altered based on a hit by another teammate and where the offensive lineman is.

“If you’re a quarterback and you are lined up directly next to the quarterback, you are 15 yards from the line of scrimmage when the safety comes in,” Wright told CSN Bay Area’s John Breech. “So when a safety came in, the guy that was directly next to the quarterback was 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. We were really worried about the safety from blocking the quarterback. That’s why we left the penalties in, because that’s what we thought was fair.”

“As it turns out, it was going to be a big play,” he said.

Wright was correct, according to an NFL spokesperson.

On the flip side of the debate, we’ve heard people complaining that the rule doesn’t take proper account of the Seahawks’ long ball and the way the ball has moved through the air during the 2016 playoffs. The NFL may need to re-evaluate.

“We believe the rule should be improved,” Seahawks senior NFL security director Mark Gastone told The Seattle Times on Wednesday. “We’ve received a lot of feedback throughout the year about how this rule has to be better. The rule is still too harsh because on some occasions guys get hit on purpose because they want the hit. So, we’re going to look at it again.”

There is still room for improvement in Seattle, but it may