NFL Rule Changes

 

 

What do you think of the rule changes to the NFL for the upcoming year?

 

I like the simplified catch rule. The Dez catch from the playoffs a few years back would have been ruled a catch with these rules.

 

I think the 15 yard penalty for lowering head to make contact is going to be a mess. As the article points out, players lower their heads to initiate contact, with varying levels of contact, all the time. I think there will be a lot of penalties at the beginning of the year and it will definitely hurt the flow of games early on.

I am just glad they got rid of the meaningless (except to bettors) extra point at the end of the game, when no time is left.

Hate the college targeting rule. Pretty sure I'm going to hate the NFL version too.

According to the USA today, the Bengals-Steelers Monday night football game would have resulted in 39 penalties on 24 plays in the first half. :lol2:

 

The new ‘targeting’ rule could have affected 24 plays in a single half of a Bengals-Steelers game | For The Win

 

"Over the course of 75 first-half plays, we found 39 possible penalties on 24 plays. Based on the language above, 22 of those possible penalties were obvious calls, leaving 17 borderline calls."

I agree, the new rules regarding lowering the head will cause some problems.

 

Seems like a lot of players don't like it.

I wouldn't like it if I were a player. It's impossible to play defense, and getting worse.

This lowering the head rule could lead to MAJOR PROBLEMS. Every QB sneak I have seen, the QB lowers his head. Is that illegal now? If a RB sees a hit coming, his natural reaction is to lower his head (basically duck). Is that illegal now? If a D lineman is coming off a block and is lunging forward and lowers his head as he hits the QB in the thigh, is that a penalty? NFL refs have to HATE this. They have SO MUCH now they have to keep track of on every play. They are in no win situation now.

This lowering the head rule could lead to MAJOR PROBLEMS. Every QB sneak I have seen, the QB lowers his head. Is that illegal now? If a RB sees a hit coming, his natural reaction is to lower his head (basically duck). Is that illegal now? If a D lineman is coming off a block and is lunging forward and lowers his head as he hits the QB in the thigh, is that a penalty? NFL refs have to HATE this. They have SO MUCH now they have to keep track of on every play. They are in no win situation now.

 

This is exactly what I thought about when I heard about the rule. If games end up as flag fests the first few weeks of the season, where the refs become the stars, then I'm just going to find something else to do on Sundays.