Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

[DetDannyWilliams]

PHOENIX — NFL owners passed a player safety rule Wednesday barring ball carriers from using the crown of their helmets to make contact with a defender in the open field.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-03-20/nfl-rules-changes-helmet-crown-tuck-league-meetings-2013

[SquishDaFish]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

I thought it was bad at first too but read into it. It says OPEN Field. Which means when they are going up between the tackles they can lower their head. But I agree with the pansies at QB just put a red jersey on them and put flags on everyone else. OR go back to the old days with the leather helmets that will stop alot of the helmet to helmet

[POTLAND PSILBYLO]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

I am of the opinion that the protective gear allows more impactful collisions. I would think that NFL vs MLS or FIFA injuries should be examined, because soccer players are naked by comparison.

[Bangarang]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

Pretty soon the game is going to be 2 hand touch.

[CoolBreeze]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

The rule sucks any way I look at it. It seems fine, they can still drive their head down for three yards from the line. But let it be known the first time we get called for it and get the 15 yard penalty. People will be going bonkers, myself included. I wonder how strict it will be, and curious to see how often it's called. We can thank the retirees for this. Because it's definitely not common knowledge that banging your head against something over, and over repeatedly, helmet or not in 16-19, 20 game cycles for years is bad for your head. It's okay when the pay's good, and the fame's there, but when they're taken away someone has to pay. The NFL has to pay in lawsuit. However, that's just the extremely rich becoming slightly less rich. The real losers are us, the fans who witness the game become less exciting, and fun to watch.

[feldspar]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

This rule is going to be impossible to call with any semblance of consistency or fairness whatsoever.

Besides that, it's only natural to lower your head with people coming after you to tackle you. Most always they are trying to lead with their shoulder, but everything happens so fast out there.

In short, this rule is ridiculous.

[YardRat]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

This rule is going to be impossible to call with any semblance of consistency or fairness whatsoever.

I agree with this ^...

Besides that, it's only natural to lower your head with people coming after you to tackle you. Most always they are trying to lead with their shoulder, but everything happens so fast out there.

In short, this rule is ridiculous.

This ^ not so much. If a defender can't lead with a helmet, than a ball carrier shouldn't be allowed to either. Yes, it extends the boundary of pussification of the league out a little farther, but it's about time the offense got neutered a little bit like defense have been over the last few years.

[SaviorEdwards]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

Stiff arms will be eliminated next.

[BLeonard]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

I am of the opinion that the protective gear allows more impactful collisions. I would think that NFL vs MLS or FIFA injuries should be examined, because soccer players are naked by comparison.

I agree completely. Wanna stop the players from leading with thieir head? Make them play without helmets, shoulderpads, etc.

-Bill

[feldspar]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

This ^ not so much. If a defender can't lead with a helmet, than a ball carrier shouldn't be allowed to either. Yes, it extends the boundary of pussification of the league out a little farther, but it's about time the offense got neutered a little bit like defense have been over the last few years.

Meh, putting your head down and "leading with your helmet" are two different things. Think about it: we're talking about somebody running with the football in the open field, basically. Obviously they have forward momentum. You LEAN forward when you run, and you want to pick up every yard you can. When you fall, you want to fall FORWARD, which means head-first...diving forward or whatever. You CAN'T really do THAT without putting your head down at some point, really. Also, if you try to hit a guy with your shoulder, that's not always what happens. Like I say, the game happens to fast to let up, and the other guy isn't exactly doing what you want or expect him to.

You gotta be pretty stupid to go around hitting grown men with your own head in a collision, wouldn't you? I would imagine that running backs don't want to break their own necks with such "tactics," right? Most times it happens, it's completely unintentional IMO.

I see myself getting completely pissed off by this rule already.

[SpillerThrills]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

I played football through high school, now I play semi pro in the Empire Football League and we use NFL rules. There is a difference between leading with your head and shoulder as opposed to leading with the crown of your helmet. when you put your shoulder down you end up leading with your head, but if you keep your head up so you are looking where you are going it won't be a penalty. if you stop looking where you are running and just try to run through someone then your going to get called for it because your head is down and you're hitting the defender with the top of your head.

[ServoBillieves]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

[kishoph]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

The problem I have with this rule, is it's left up to the interpretation of the referee, so I imagine it will lead to more bad calls. I guess there's no other way to do it though.

[Pinkerton Security]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

The problem I have with this rule, is it's left up to the interpretation of the referee, so I imagine it will lead to more bad calls. I guess there's no other way to do it though.

+1...this is going to be very hard to determine, and its going to slow down the game even further via another video booth session. I do understand the intent but I dont like its practicality...how many times do you see a safety make a clean, shoulder-led hit yet get flagged 15 yards because of incidental contact to the helmet in some way? They say the incidental contact is allowed, yet they call it every time.

[OpIv37]

Re: Heck NFL just take away the helmets!

This is precisely the kind of rule that leads to inconsistent officiating, and there is no doubt in my mind that Buffalo will be victimized by it, as they always are by these types of judgment calls.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, and I don't think the game is rigged. But I do think the NFL has preferred outcomes, and the refs know it. When there is a borderline call, it goes in favor of the league's preferred outcome. And the league's preferred outcome is never in favor of the small-market team with no star players (well maybe 1 in Spiller) where people buy tickets no matter how ****ty they play.