It is now a penalty for a running back to strike defenders with the crown of their helmet

[Arsenal 3]

 

 

Any ideas on who this would have the biggest impact on?

 

Edit: (seems like a nightmare to enforce)

The NFL has passed a rule that makes it a penalty for ball carriers to strike defenders with the crown of their helmet in the open field.

 

It's another rule change made in the interest of player safety, and it's sure to stir controversy despite passing 31-1. The best running backs often operate on instinct instead of thinking about how to get around or through a defender. Now, if they lower their head, it's a 15-yard penalty. The rule does not apply to short-yardage or goal-line situations. "We're bringing the shoulder back to the game," said Rams coach Jeff Fisher, a member of the competition committee. "The helmet is a protective device, but it's not being used as that as of late." Officials will also have a hard time policing this as most tackles are bang-bang plays. In other rules news, the "Tuck Rule" has been eliminated. Unfortunately for the Raiders, it is not retroactive.

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

This has the biggest impact on fans of a sport called football. And for people who don't wish to sit for 3 1/2 hours for a live event.

[IGotWorms 3,315]

I agree that this will be very tough to enforce, and it makes it hard for RBs to operate in open space since lowering their helmet is surely instinctual for many.

[sirensong 111]

so, in an effort to reduce concussions, the league is going to cause a ton of cervical spine injuries.

 

brilliant...

[GreenTD 56]

so, in an effort to reduce concussions, the league is going to cause a ton of cervical spine injuries.

 

brilliant...

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't this rule reduce spinal injuries? I would think if the running back is not lowering his head that the head would be less likely to get compressed into the neck from hitting the defender with the crown of the helmet.

[phillybear 364]

They should force the players to wear their pink uniforms for more than just one month.

[Arsenal 3]

Trent Richardson sliding down the draft boards

 

[Sho Nuff 719]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't this rule reduce spinal injuries? I would think if the running back is not lowering his head that the head would be less likely to get compressed into the neck from hitting the defender with the crown of the helmet.

 

Pretty much...so much misunderstanding of this rule.

[sirensong 111]

Pretty much...so much misunderstanding of this rule.

 

yeah--did some supplemental reading.

 

me =

[Saint Elistan 106]

 

I place the over under on the number of times the penalty is called in a given season at...3?

[jocstrap 8]

Why do you think Mixed Matial Arts contests are becoming so popular across the world? The violence and the sport is exploding inside the hexagon. True battles and sport. The NFL is tipping more and more towards the side of pussification in the USA.

 

Hello world championship of flag football down the road.

 

pfft - I don't like this one at all considerig rb's get clobbered every game. Now you're taking away one of their strengths. What's next? No straight arm

[Cuda1337 1]

Why do you think Mixed Matial Arts contests are becoming so popular across the world? The violence and the sport is exploding inside the hexagon. True battles and sport. The NFL is tipping more and more towards the side of pussification in the USA.

 

Hello world championship of flag football down the road.

 

pfft - I don't like this one at all considerig rb's get clobbered every game. Now you're taking away one of their strengths. What's next? No straight arm

 

 

Make the padding smaller. That's the only solution. When people have weapons on their shoulder pads, they are going to use them as such. These changes to protect the head, although I understand... aren't helping the game as a whole. The game just had a big shift in favor of fast running backs over power backs.

[jerryskids 5,206]

Trent Richardson sliding down the draft boards

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omhTWveotos

I'm not clear on what he should do differently there -- he was bottled in on both sides.

[Sho Nuff 719]

I'm not clear on what he should do differently there -- he was bottled in on both sides.

 

Not drop the top of his head down exposing himself to possible head injury, neck injury, and spinal injury?

[sirensong 111]

Why do you think Mixed Matial Arts contests are becoming so popular across the world? The violence and the sport is exploding inside the hexagon. True battles and sport.

 

paradoxically, there are fewer severe injuries in UFC than in regular boxing because the rules to protect the fighters are so strict. the sport did not become successful until after the sweeping rule reform early on. granted, a lot of that was due to the introduction of the round structure and the obligation to progress the position, but a ton of people were turned off by the raw violence in the early UFC.

 

for example, the UFC banned head butts, knees to the head of a downed opponent, and striking the back of the head--somewhat analogous to the current issue.

 

i still think this rule change is a mistake, though.

[mobb_deep 917]

Bump Reggie since he always runs out of bounds.

Bump David Wilson and DMAC for running upright.

Bump them back down for possible knee injury.

[Arsenal 3]

I'm not clear on what he should do differently there -- he was bottled in on both sides.

 

Clearly he should have slid

[phillybear 364]

Not drop the top of his head down exposing himself to possible head injury, neck injury, and spinal injury?

 

So many head lowering RBs that plowed through tacklers and went on to become beloved folk heroes will be a footnote in history which the league will redact and lecture to us how evil their style of play was.

 

Injuries happen. If you try to prevent one type of injury, a different one will materialize. You trying to plug up 17 leaks with 2 fingers. It's a waste of time and it suffocates the competitiveness. A player should be able to react naturally, not stop and think if he makes a tackle or tries to break a tackle, will he be fined.

 

The only way to cut down on injuries is to force every ball carrier to do a QB slide and give themselves up before a tackler can reach him. Football is a game that is forcibly being changed to "nice" and "sensitive interviews" and "family friendly". And all of those thing suck.

[Sho Nuff 719]

So many head lowering RBs that plowed through tacklers and went on to become beloved folk heroes will be a footnote in history which the league will redact and lecture to us how evil their style of play was.

 

Injuries happen. If you try to prevent one type of injury, a different one will materialize. You trying to plug up 17 leaks with 2 fingers. It's a waste of time and it suffocates the competitiveness. A player should be able to react naturally, not stop and think if he makes a tackle or tries to break a tackle, will he be fined.

 

The only way to cut down on injuries is to force every ball carrier to do a QB slide and give themselves up before a tackler can reach him. Football is a game that is forcibly being changed to "nice" and "sensitive interviews" and "family friendly". And all of those thing suck.

 

And how many of those beloved players are in terrible medical condition now? Earl Campbell anyone? Guy is the poster boy for a bruising style of RB...and look at him today.

First it was thought to be a genetic condition...but the more test he has done...even he says much of it likely came from the way he played the game.

 

 

Just because you can't prevent every injury, does not mean they should not try to do things.

To think that this penalty will somehow suffocate the competetiveness is a ridiculous notion.

[phillybear 364]

And how many of those beloved players are in terrible medical condition now? Earl Campbell anyone? Guy is the poster boy for a bruising style of RB...and look at him today.

First it was thought to be a genetic condition...but the more test he has done...even he says much of it likely came from the way he played the game.

 

 

Just because you can't prevent every injury, does not mean they should not try to do things.

To think that this penalty will somehow suffocate the competetiveness is a ridiculous notion.

 

I don't give a rat's ass about a player's health; most fans don't either. The players know the risks and rewards.

 

Stop changing the product.

 

Pro wrestlers keep dropping dead at young ages. So, they banned steroids, do drug testing, stopped piledrivers, chair shots to the head, blading their foreheads, stopped a lot of the edgy material and....the product is comsiderably worse and, you guessed it, pro wrestlers keep dropping dead at a young age.

[jerryskids 5,206]

Not drop the top of his head down exposing himself to possible head injury, neck injury, and spinal injury?

It seemed to me that a gauntlet of defenders formed around him leaving his best path as that directly into the forward defender. Are you suggesting he tuck his head? If so that introduces greater risk of neck injury.

 

I can see legislating this penalty in the open field when the RB chooses to attack a lone defender with his helmet, but in the above video, I don't see it.

[thesitedoc 5]

Setting aside false machismo, this is a good rule. Don't be a pussay and use your head as a weapon. Out muscle the defender with your arm and legs if you can to drive through a tackle or break a tackle.

 

I always considered ducking your head cowardly, almost like start to curl up your upper buddy to brace for the impact. Man up, face up and go at the defender straight on if you can or juke and move.

 

Seriously, I don't understand why this is being considered so negatively.

 

Although, another real issue is being ignored. The league needs to test for ALL PED's and have strict violations if you are caught.

 

It is these drugs that partly make the athletes bigger, stronger and faster which create greater impact/collison force and more injuries with each hit.

[sirensong 111]

I don't give a rat's ass about a player's health; most fans don't either. The players know the risks and rewards.

 

Stop changing the product.

 

so you're equally opposed to all protective rules, like the addition of facemasks and penalties for facemasking?

 

and as for what the fans want, the owners run the league. it's their league. if the fans quit paying, the owners quit making money. so it seems that the invisible hand of economics will wind up governing this.

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

Setting aside false machismo, this is a good rule. Don't be a pussay and use your head as a weapon. Out muscle the defender with your arm and legs if you can to drive through a tackle or break a tackle.

 

I always considered ducking your head cowardly, almost like start to curl up your upper buddy to brace for the impact. Man up, face up and go at the defender straight on if you can or juke and move.

 

RB's have dropped their heads forever, using it as a battering ram to either knock defenders over or gain extra yards. It's about the farthest thing from a poosay move.

[rholio 339]

RB's have dropped their heads forever, using it as a battering ram to either knock defenders over or gain extra yards. It's about the farthest thing from a poosay move.

Defenders did the same thing when tackling... they aren't allowed to anymore. Why allow one side of the ball to use a move that the other side is penalized / fined for doing?

 

Most coaches teach players to hit with the shoulder, not the helmet. Hitting with the helmet became popular as a way to deliver a harder impact. No other weapons are allowed on the field, why allow the helmet to be used as one?

[thesitedoc 5]

RB's have dropped their heads forever, using it as a battering ram to either knock defenders over or gain extra yards. It's about the farthest thing from a poosay move.

 

The length of time for which this activity has been done does not define it. Although my statement was said relatively tongue in check.

 

And the fact still remains that it is a dangerous act and using your head as a weapon is self-desctructive and I see no merit in it as a football move.

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

The length of time for which this activity has been done does not define it. Although my statement was said relatively tongue in check.

 

And the fact still remains that it is a dangerous act and using your head as a weapon is self-desctructive and I see no merit in it as a football move.

 

There is danger involved in the NFL?

[Voltaire 4,560]

They should force the players to wear their pink uniforms for more than just one month.

This is a great one liner that got no love.