Anyone Else Worried About The New Nfl Helmet Rule?

[The Tannehills Have Eyes]

Here's a clip on the new helmet rule for those who haven't seen it :




Not only do I think it will be detrimental to the quality of the game but I'm more worried at the consistency on how it will be called. Now I don't want to sound like an ole tin foil hat user when I say this but these are the kind of rules that can lead a ref to having an even more stronger influence over what team could win the game. I see this new rule like a holding call. They tend to happen almost every play but it's up to the ref when he actually wants to call it (or "inadvertently" see it occur). Sorry if this has already been discussed I haven't been on much during the summer. I do recall some journalist going crazy on how it could kill the game when the rule was first announced late in may.

 

[NBP81]

I mean, they should expand rosters, because the way the game is being played as we speak, teams are going to have a hard time putting 11 players on the field by the 3rd quarter...

 

[nick1]

Could you skew the game to the offense anymore then they already have

 

[Ruckus45]

We are about to see a huge increase in broken legs and torn ligaments. Kinda like the Dustin Keller hit a few years ago.

 

[The Tannehills Have Eyes]

Could you skew the game to the offense anymore then they already have

What a nightmare it must be to be a defender it today's game. That includes basketball as well.

 

[Anvil35]

I say get rid of helmets or make them soft shell - the defenders certainly wont lead with their head anymore!!

 

[TarHeelFinFan]

The game has to adjust or it will cease to exist. The NFL and NCAA will be sued out of existence if they don’t do everything possible to limit concussions. The refs will need to call it consistently to get the players to conform. Eventually though, the solution is to stop loading players up with 20 lbs of armor.

 

[superphin]

Whats the over under on the number of ejections September 9th?

 

[royalshank]

Mike Freeman wrote a good piece on this but I can’t find the link. This can be called on defenders and offensive players alike and is going to be extremely subjective. League can’t even tell you what a catch is - how are they going to ref this with consistency?

 

[Digital]

I gotta be honest, I'm fine with the rule itself. We should probably revisit this once we see how it is officiated, instant replay delay of this, impact on the outcome of games it has, etc. But headhunting does happen in the NFL.

We need to incentivize NOT-headhunting, and this seems like a reasonable attempt to do that. But it is trial and error, so we should keep tweaking it until we get it right. Otherwise, concussions and the non-fan impact that they rile up, are likely to have a very negative impact on the NFL, and possibly even the existence of football as a game for both the NFL and colleges. I can take an NFL without helmet-to-helmet contact. I can take a few bad ejections and a few changed games. But I really want to avoid the loss of football as a sport. Once we fall a certain way down that hole, there is no returning. So, find a way to deal with the problem. It will be healthier for the players, equal to the teams, and help the sport thrive. If this rule isn't the right one, we should change it. But, it seems worth a try to me.

 

[maralieus]

It’s definitely gonna be tough to overcome yet another rule that affects all but the pats.

 

[DKphin]

Once again they will call it on the defense and totally give the offensive players that use their heads as a battering ram a pass.

 

[DrMom9900]

Wow the NFL is worried so much about CTE that it is going to kill the sport.

 

[royalshank]

I still think this is a lipstick on the pig move. The subconcussive poundings taken on each play, from pop warner on, seem to be the true cause of the CTE. The league’s steps to date have largely been about creating the APPEARANCE that they are making the game safer when its questionable as to whether these rules will help. I don’t know what the answer is nor do I even have a suggestion. Just don’t think we are going to see fewer cases of CTE due to these changes while I do believe the game will suffer.

 

[Sherif]

Once again they will call it on the defense and totally give the offensive players that use their heads as a battering ram a pass.

The game is moving so fast, I can't see how the Refs will be able to tell if the hit is with a helmet or shoulder or if it was the offensive or defensive player that led with the helmet or both. I couldn't hardly tell in the slow motion videos.