Helmet Rule Passes & Tuck Rule is no more

[gbobucsfan]

Helmet rule passes

 Posted by Mike Florio on March 20, 2013, 12:28 PM EDT
 
Getty Images
Well, that was fast.
 
Faced with concerns from coaches but possible litigation worries arising from current and future players, owners voted on Wednesday to outlaw the use of the crown of the helmet by offensive or defensive players in the open field.
 
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the rule passed by a “wide margin.”  (It’ll be interesting to know who opposed it, and whether there was a closer initial vote followed by a more comfortable second tally.)
 
And so the ultimate reality show will have another layer of reality this year, with players and coaches and media and fans complaining about the latest effort to make safer an inherently unsafe endeavor.


The Tuck Rule is no more

 Posted by Josh Alper on March 20, 2013, 12:41 PM EDT
 
Getty Images
It’s much too late for the Raiders, but the Tuck Rule has been wiped out.
 
The NFL owners voted Wednesday to wipe out the Tuck Rule at their meetings in Phoenix. With the rule eliminated, quarterbacks who pump fake and lose the ball while trying to bring it back into their torso will be deemed to have fumbled. Before the change, such a play would be ruled an incompletion.
 
We led with the Raiders because the Tuck Rule will always be linked to their AFC Divisional Round game against the Patriots in 2002. It was a little-discussed rule until Tom Brady was ruled to have thrown an incomplete pass after dropping the ball when he was hit by Charles Woodson of the Raiders. The Patriots drove for a game-tying field goal, won the game in overtime and went on to win the Super Bowl.
 
That game was a long time ago and there haven’t been a spate of high-profile instances of the rule being used in subsequent years, but the league obviously decided that the Tuck Rule had outlived its usefulness.
 
UPDATE 12:42 p.m. ET: Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the measure passed by a vote of 29-1 with two teams abstaining. One was the Redskins and, appropriately enough, the Patriots were the other.

[holiday21]

alstott would've never been in the league.

what a joke.

[Sim]

Hopefully the helmet rule doesn't reduce the Dougernaut's effectiveness. Such a ridiculous rule....

[dalbuc]

Helmet rule is narrowly tailored and it should be illegal, in addition to being stupid. It doesn't say you can't lower your head just that you can't, like a defender, use the crown of your helmet as a weapon. If you get low and see the defender you can still truck him all you like. IIRC, I think I saw reported that based on the NFL's own analysis this happens once every three games so this is an "odd" scenario.

[TampaBucks05]

We are giving the refs another huge tool to subjectively alter a game, which is not good for us as evidenced by years past.

[Benchwarmer#1]

Next years new rule will be, "it's always PI on the bucs."

Wait. I'm sorry...they already passed that rule.

[BucNY]

Next years new rule will be, "it's always PI on the bucs."

Wait. I'm sorry...they already passed that rule.

#BarrontacklesRGIIItohard