Thoughts on new NFL rules?

[SittingBull]

Didn't see anything posted about the new rules that will be implemented this upcoming season. The article below describes them pretty well. Thoughts?

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2009/03/nfl_provides_mo.html

DANA POINT, Calif. -- The NFL passed four player safety rules proposals today at its annual meeting, including one designed to prevent crushing blows to defenseless receivers like the one Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker absorbed from Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark last season.
Welker was forced to leave the Patriots' 33-10 loss to the Steelers on Nov. 30, after he was blasted by Clark on an uncatchable ball late in the third quarter.
A Matt Cassel pass was tipped and as Welker completed his route and looked for the tipped ball, which he had no chance to catch, Clark launched himself and struck Welker under the chin with a shoulder/forearm. Clark was penalized on the play, but he was not fined. The NFL's vice president of officiating later said Clark's hit was legal.
Not anymore.
Although initial helmet-to-helmet contact with a defenseless receiver was already prohibited, the re-written rule passed today expands prohibited initial contact to include the forearm or shoulder in the head or neck area.
"I'm a big supporter of that rule," said Patriots owner Robert Kraft. "I think anyone who is a fan of any team in the league who sees a hit like that on a defenseless receiver... I just think it's uncalled for. If it was 'legal' under the old system, I don't see a need for it. I think we're setting ourselves up for someone to be seriously hurt unnecessarily. If [the hit by Clark] is a legal hit, we've got to seriously look at the whole area, and I think that's what they've done."
The other rules do away with the bunch formation on kickoffs, constrict kickoff return wedges to two players, and provide protection for a defenseless defender on crack-back blocks by offensive players similar to the one that Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward delivered to break the jaw of Bengals rookie linebacker Keith Rivers last season.
That rule has similar language to the defenseless receiver rule, prohibiting initial contact by a blocker on a peel-back block to the head or neck area with the helmet, shoulder or forearm.

[tr1]

I think these are good rules. No need for anyone to die from a sports injury.

[SittingBull]

I'm all for safety of players but the only problem I have with some of these is that it leaves it too open to referee interpretation. For instance the Ryan Clark on Welker hit last year to me looked perfectly legal but he was penalized for it.

[blitzpackage]

Yeah, I'm not so sure about some of these. Why not penalize the QB for endangering his receiver? Obviously I'm kidding, but c'mon. Players have been using the "crack-back" block since the dawn of time and now because one player suffers a broken jaw it's penalized? IDK, have many concussions occured because of this?

[SC3]

I'm for eliminating any blows to the head.

[Big Mac Patty Wack]

Too many protection rules. This is football. The only one I like is the lunging at a QB's knees.

[kuraitengai]

Too many protection rules. This is football. The only one I like is the lunging at a QB's knees.
exactly.

although that still leaves it open to interpretation. cuz what if the defender is blocked in the back or tripped and falls into the QBs knees? they will probably still call that a penalty. just like how ive seen sometimes when a blocker purposefully throws a rusher into the punter and ends up getting the roughing the kicker penalty.

[dockeryfan]

Too many protection rules. This is football. The only one I like is the lunging at a QB's knees.

Nahhh, man. Some protection rules are OK. Helmet to helmet hits cause a lot of damage. I can see why they want to eliminate them, both on teams and with receivers.

Were you OK with them outlawing the wedge-buster? Remember those guys that would just fly down the field and launch themselves sideways toward the wedge? I was. There were a lot of injuries with that. These head to head rules I think I'm OK with, as long as they don't start calling grazing shots, etc.

The wedge rules, I'm not sure about. I think they should still be allowed.

[TheREALJBird]

I don't have a problem with them, blindside blocks look cool on TV and all, but I can't imagine the pain something like that would cause and potential injury.

[artmonkforHOF]

less blows to the head is always a good thing. They have had the rules for the QB's for quite a while now, about time they applied it to everyone else on the field.

I also like the limit to a 2 man wedge, sometimes those things just look stupid when you have 5 or 6 guys making one wedge, and I dont think it really helps considering there are 5-6 defenders going unblocked.

The one CFL rule I want to see in the NFL is no fair catch on punt returns. kicking team players would have to give a 5 yard "halo" to the punt returner, any player within the 5 yard halo would mean a 5 yard penality from the end of the return (or from the catch point, whichever benefits the returning team in cases where the PR goes backwards... Im looking at YOU Randle El), and a 15 yard penality if a player makes contact with the PR, before he catches the ball.

This would elimate the "punt it as high as you can" stragey most teams employ to ensure their coverage team has enough time to get down the field and increase the chance of a big return, which is one of the more exciting parts of football.

[artmonkforHOF]

I don't have a problem with them, blindside blocks look cool on TV and all, but I can't imagine the pain something like that would cause and potential injury.

Blindsides hurt like hell, even if you get hit by a smaller guy. I remember in HS football, seeing 120lb RB's blindsiding 200LB D linemen and the big guys end up laying on the ground with broken jaws, pinched nerves etc.

[snowman5607]

I don't like them. It's football. When you put the pads on, you're knowing that it's possible of a serious injury. It's becoming bull****. I love seeing big hits i.e. Ryan Clark on Welker and Ward on Rivers. Why take that away from the game? You're wearing protective pads for God's sake.

[pjfootballer]

I thought the hit on Welker was illegal before this rule, the defenseless receiver rule. The wedge rule is from the paralyzed player in Buffalo. The lunging at knees rule- wasn't that already on the books from the Carson Palmer injury? Now they are calling it the Brady rule. Seems like alot of overkill to me.

[sjinhan]

Too many protection rules. This is football. The only one I like is the lunging at a QB's knees.

i am the exact opposite.. the only one i really dont like is the lunging penalty... why cant the defender attempt to make a tackle on the QB? what are they going to do next? have the QB wear a bright yellow or red jersey during the season like they do in training camp...

oh wait we have a $100 million defensive tackle now... so next time by some chance he was tripled teamed when he gets hurt maybe we should make a new rule banning that as well...

[sjinhan]

one more comment...

THIS IS FOOTBALL PEOPLE!!!?!?!

this is like WBC making rules banning punches to the face for cutting up Oscar De La Hoya's golden boy face...

[Elessar78]

yeah, it's football but there still needs to be some rules protecting the players. There's this one study being done on the brains of NFL players that have recently died, and they show a lot of damage.

[rd421]

I hate all these ticky tack fouls....yeah Brady got hurt SO WHAT everyone does its FOOTBALL dont touch me ball....If this doesn't stop soon you will have to 2 hand touch the qb....I was tought YOU GET THE QB no matter how GET HIM....now you have people letting qbs go free

[terpskins10]

I feel like Tom Brady himself is laughing at the new rule made in his honor. He's a gamer and it sucks that defensive players knocked to the ground aren't allowed to lunge at the QB anymore.

Stupid rule, more crap from the No Fun League.

[KingJeremy]

The adjustment to The Brady Rule is crap. If the jersey said "Thigpen" this wouldn't have even been discussed. Next year: flags around the quarterback's waist, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike for pulling off his tutu with it.

[terpskins10]

The adjustment to The Brady Rule is crap. If the jersey said "Thigpen" this wouldn't have even been discussed. Next year: flags around the quarterback's waist, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike for pulling off his tutu with it.

I laughed out loud at this comment!

Very true, though. I kind of laughed when Robert Kraft said you have to protect the QB because it's bad for the league if a star QB goes down, much like watching an action movie without an A-list actor.

This is football. There are backups for a reason. If you put on the pads, regardless of your position, you sign yourself up to get beat up.

[Spec138]

yeah, it's football but there still needs to be some rules protecting the players. There's this one study being done on the brains of NFL players that have recently died, and they show a lot of damage.

That should be a given shouldn't it? The whole point of the game is to knock the **** out of the other team. I don't like seeing athletes get hurt don't get me wrong, but these guys are paid millions of dollars and no one is making them play the game. If the risk isn't worth it get out.

[elkabong82]

I'm for eliminating any blows to the head.

unless it's from the cheerleaders :hump:

[PokerPacker]

I think the first step should be to make the helmets smaller. those things have become weapons. the point of the helmet should be to protect the head from harm in the case its struck, not make it so striking people with your head becomes strategically advantageous.