#loweringtheboomfund

[MUSCLE_HAMSTER]

According to Herm Edwards, the rule as written would have been called 11 times last year.  Seems a bit overblown to me.

11 times total between 2 weeks last year 

[MUSCLE_HAMSTER]

So roughly 5 times per week.

Aka less than one per game.

[Benchwarmer#1]

According to Herm Edwards, the rule as written would have been called 11 times last year.  Seems a bit overblown to me.

It doesn't matter what herm thinks, and I could care less what he thinks anyhow.

The trouble with the rule will be goaline stands and 3rd downs. Anyone want to bet GB, Atl, Pats, or giants get that call in their favor a few times?

It's just another way for the NFL to keep those money making teams in power and to protect their own butts when they aren't smart enough to come up with waivers.

[chace1986]

Why are you blaming just Goodell? The competition committee comes up with these rules, then the NFL owners vote on them.

..because...they have heard players complain about Goodell over the past few years, and so now any NFL issue that pops up is automatically Goodell's fault. Those people are just too lazy to look around and see that a lot of things can't be pinned to Goodell. I honestly feel for Goodell. He has had several fumbles and may flex is muscle a bit too much in instances, but the NFL safety issue has reached a crossroads. Either Goodell and the NFL step up and make some tough changes, or they set themselves up for some huge lawsuits for ignoring issues regarding concussions and other various issues. He isn't a perfect commish by any means, but this issue is a lot more critical than people realize and some unpopular decisions have to be made. I for one don't agree with this new change, but this is on the owners and competition committee.

[YReceiver14]

According to Herm Edwards, the rule as written would have been called 11 times last year.  Seems a bit overblown to me.

It doesn't matter what herm thinks, and I could care less what he thinks anyhow.

The trouble with the rule will be goaline stands and 3rd downs. Anyone want to bet GB, Atl, Pats, or giants get that call in their favor a few times?

It's just another way for the NFL to keep those money making teams in power and to protect their own butts when they aren't smart enough to come up with waivers.

I believe the rule counts only outside the tackle box, which includes 3 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

I'm not a fan of this rule, but I think this is getting overblown.

Furthermore, at 11 flags per 32 games (as per the study Herm is talking about), that comes up to 176 new flags in a season, or a new flag thrown in 34.4% of games, or about 1 new flag per 3 games.

The most worry should come from the subjective nature of the call; we've seen this issue already with defenseless receiver calls.

[SWAGGANEER]

@ProFootballTalk
Frustrated by rule changes, Arian Foster would sign waiver of his legal rights.

This is what the NFL should do.  Make all players sign a waiver.  If they don't sign, they don't play.  Simple as that.

[germcanbuc]

I read somewhere last week that this rule would have been implemented on 1 of every 400 snaps last season, just to put things into perspective a little

[GameTime]

the problem i see is that its almost a subjective call.  was the RB lowering his head or was he protecting himself?  was the RB lowering his head or was he avoiding a different defender?  puts a lot on the referee imo.  i still dont see an issue with the frank gore run that they continuously show against the falcons.  is the rule reviewable?

[germcanbuc]

GT Thats always the case with subjective calls though. It could go either way on any given play. If its reviewable great, but the odds of that being the case are slim to none imo

[Cerious]

According to Herm Edwards, the rule as written would have been called 11 times last year.  Seems a bit overblown to me.

HerM has it wrong. It was a11 times over the course of two weeks worths of games that the panel reviewed. That works out to about 1 call every three games.

[Dolorous Jason]

NFL defenders have learned how to deliver blows with thier helmet up , why can't offensive players ?? I call bullsh!t. There is no reason you should have to lower the crown of your helmet at ANY position in football . It is poor technique to begin with. I was taught from 1st year in little league that when delivering blows you should use your shoulders and have your head up at all times , for two reasons: 1.  So you can see the target you are trying to hit at all times . 2. So you don't break your neck/get concussed.

It's a good rule. You can still be physical , protect yourself , and run over defenders without spearing people.

[BucNY]

So far I've found that anyone who's actually read the rule has no problem with it and only the people who are reacting irrationally haven't actually read it

+1
No leading with a helmet, use your shoulder!

A call that would have been made rough 6 times in 512 games....Goodell is killing this sport!!!

Wicked funny. This rule says one thing. When in the open field you cannot use the CROWN of your helmet to initiate contact. It does not say helmets cannot touch anyone or anything. The only thing this changes is the Richardson run. He'll have to hit people with his facemask and shoulders now instead of the top of his helmet.

Goodell trying to keep guys from paralyzing themselves, what an idiot.

[SWAGGANEER]

NFL defenders have learned how to deliver blows with thier helmet up , why can't offensive players ?? I call bullsh!t. There is no reason you should have to lower the crown of your helmet at ANY position in football . It is poor technique to begin with. I was taught from 1st year in little league that when delivering blows you should use your shoulders and have your head up at all times , for two reasons: 1.  So you can see the target you are trying to hit at all times . 2. So you don't break your neck/get concussed.

It's a good rule. You can still be physical , protect yourself , and run over defenders without spearing people.

Agreed... However, when it becomes a "judgement call" most fans will call bullsh!t...

[youngone]

@ProFootballTalk
Frustrated by rule changes, Arian Foster would sign waiver of his legal rights.

Is it really that serious? That's just stupid.

[chace1986]

So far I've found that anyone who's actually read the rule has no problem with it and only the people who are reacting irrationally haven't actually read it

+1
No leading with a helmet, use your shoulder!

A call that would have been made rough 6 times in 512 games....Goodell is killing this sport!!!

Wicked funny. This rule says one thing. When in the open field you cannot use the CROWN of your helmet to initiate contact. It does not say helmets cannot touch anyone or anything. The only thing this changes is the Richardson run. He'll have to hit people with his facemask and shoulders now instead of the top of his helmet.

Goodell trying to keep guys from paralyzing themselves, what an idiot.

It's just hilarious every time I see the, "f*cking Goodell, trying to turn this league into flag football!!" type comments.

I would say that most fans who complain about Goodell, do so because they hear the players complain about him because he is the one handing out fines/suspensions...and because he is an easy scapegoat to pin any sort of blame on regarding a hotbutton issue that a sizable amount of people disagree with. Since he is in an authoritative position, he sort of represents "the man"...which makes him an easy target. Not saying that we should feel sorry for Goodell or anything..dude gets paid well and is the head of the sport we all love...but I'm just saying that he gets a ton of flak for doing stuff that honestly needs to get done.

Sure, he went overboard and made a mistake on the way some of the Saints punishments where handled., but as far as the concussion/head injuries goes, the NFL is under the microscope. If Goodell and the league did not act and start attempting to show that they are attempting to make the game safer, then they open themselves up to lawsuits that could cripple the league, and more importantly could cripple a few of it's players. If this rule prevents just one neck/spine/serious concussion injury, then it's worth passing. Sure players may complain about it now. Change sometimes sucks, but there are so many stories of retired players whose bodies are in shambles and whose minds have been altered from so many brutal shots to the head. Goodell isn't a perfect Commish, by any means, but he is doing what needs to be done.