New NFL Rule about lowering head for contact.

[PlayerRep]

"This may not seem like a big difference from what already was happening in the NFL. Leading with the crown of the helmet was already a penalty for any players outside of the tackle box. However, the key part of this rule change is this: “Applies to any player anywhere on the field.”

That means this rule applies to the offense, as well, and inside the tackle box, too. Gone are the days in which running backs will be allowed to lower their head and truck a player with their head first."

 

[i_the_sky]

Maybe we should exchange football pads for flags and be done with it??????????? "Just saying". Ban guns and pads"!!! Think about it. You ban helmets and pads they'll stop running into each other all together... They call it soccer. Very popular sport. You don't like the risk don't play the damn game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SaskGriz]

Maybe we should exchange football pads for flags and be done with it??????????? "Just saying". Ban guns and pads"!!! Think about it. You ban helmets and pads they'll stop running into each other all together... They call it soccer. Very popular sport. You don't like the risk don't play the damn game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude, I'm pretty sure they've already banned guns in football. Not counting; the shotgun formation, the gunner on a coverage team and Ron "The Polish Rifle" Jaworski.

 

[Sam A. Blitz]

"This may not seem like a big difference from what already was happening in the NFL. Leading with the crown of the helmet was already a penalty for any players outside of the tackle box. However, the key part of this rule change is this: “Applies to any player anywhere on the field.”

That means this rule applies to the offense, as well, and inside the tackle box, too. Gone are the days in which running backs will be allowed to lower their head and truck a player with their head first."

It's a good rule change and will protect linebackers and safeties. It puts a defensive player in a vulnerable position when a ball carrier is able to put their head down and plow into you while you are regulated to form tackling. It will be very interesting to see how close they call it and if it changes the playcalling at all.

 

[SoldierGriz]

QB sneaks will be interesting.

This rule will make the "catch rule" seem simple...IMO.

 

[jcu27]

Soccer

 

[first11]

Rugby rules now

 

[first11]

QB sneaks will be interesting.

This rule will make the "catch rule" seem simple...IMO.

Good take on the sneak....

 

[bgbigdog]

What’s next? Beer through a straw?

 

[behappp]

As I have noted before, rugby rules are that tackling must be below the shoulders (even if the runner lowers his shoulders) and above the knee.

Also, the tackler must open his arms and wrap them around the runner.

Exactly what I was thinking as my daughter played Rugby for years and has always said that Rugby players could teach Football players how to tackle safely.

 

[violin]

Running backs are already not allowed to lead with the crown of the helmet to punish a defender. I wouldn't overreact to what this rule isn't.

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[PlayerRep]

Running backs are already not allowed to lead with the crown of the helmet to punish a defender. I wouldn't overreact to what this rule isn't.

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Where's your support for the above assertion? Don't think that's quite accurate. See below 2016 discussion, especially the last sentence. Also, note that the new rule eliminates the inside-the-tackle-box exception.

"Crown of Helmet

For safety reasons, the Committee believes that crown-of-the-helmet hits by defenders that were previously legal because the defender did not line up the runner should be illegal regardless of whether the defender lines up the runner prior to making contact. When the rule was first implemented, game officials were instructed to look for three elements for interpreting the rule for initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet:

The player must line up his opponent
He must lower his head
He must make forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.

Game officials will be instructed to call fouls when a defender lowers his head and makes forcible contact with the crown of his helmet on a runner outside the tackle box. The line-up requirement will still apply to a runner, since in many instances that player ducks his head to protect himself from impending contact by a defender, rather than to deliver a blow."

https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2016-rules-changes-and-points-of-emphasis/

 

[violin]

Running backs are already not allowed to lead with the crown of the helmet to punish a defender. I wouldn't overreact to what this rule isn't.

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Where's your support for the above assertion? Don't think that's quite accurate. See below 2016 discussion, especially the last sentence. Also, note that the new rule eliminates the inside-the-tackle-box exception.

"Crown of Helmet

For safety reasons, the Committee believes that crown-of-the-helmet hits by defenders that were previously legal because the defender did not line up the runner should be illegal regardless of whether the defender lines up the runner prior to making contact. When the rule was first implemented, game officials were instructed to look for three elements for interpreting the rule for initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet:

The player must line up his opponent
He must lower his head
He must make forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.

Game officials will be instructed to call fouls when a defender lowers his head and makes forcible contact with the crown of his helmet on a runner outside the tackle box. The line-up requirement will still apply to a runner, since in many instances that player ducks his head to protect himself from impending contact by a defender, rather than to deliver a blow."

https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2016-rules-changes-and-points-of-emphasis/

That quote actually supports my comment. I guess I didn't realize the crown rule applied to everyone, but other than that what I stated is true. What this rule appears to do is expand on the current crown of the helmet rule.

I found an article where some journalist said this foul would have been called 24 times in the first half of one game he reviewed. I've learned most media people don't understand the rules. Let's wait to see this play out before we get too heated about it.

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[PlayerRep]

Running backs are already not allowed to lead with the crown of the helmet to punish a defender. I wouldn't overreact to what this rule isn't.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Where's your support for the above assertion? Don't think that's quite accurate. See below 2016 discussion, especially the last sentence. Also, note that the new rule eliminates the inside-the-tackle-box exception.

"Crown of Helmet

For safety reasons, the Committee believes that crown-of-the-helmet hits by defenders that were previously legal because the defender did not line up the runner should be illegal regardless of whether the defender lines up the runner prior to making contact. When the rule was first implemented, game officials were instructed to look for three elements for interpreting the rule for initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet:

The player must line up his opponent
He must lower his head
He must make forcible contact with the crown of the helmet.

Game officials will be instructed to call fouls when a defender lowers his head and makes forcible contact with the crown of his helmet on a runner outside the tackle box. The line-up requirement will still apply to a runner, since in many instances that player ducks his head to protect himself from impending contact by a defender, rather than to deliver a blow."

https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2016-rules-changes-and-points-of-emphasis/

That quote actually supports my comment. I guess I didn't realize the crown rule applied to everyone, but other than that what I stated is true. What this rule appears to do is expand on the current crown of the helmet rule.

I found an article where some journalist said this foul would have been called 24 times in the first half of one game he reviewed. I've learned most media people don't understand the rules. Let's wait to see this play out before we get too heated about it.

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Not saying I understand the old or new rules, or know how they may be interpreted. However, I don't think what you said about the old rule (assuming it was this 2016 rule described above) is accurate (or that what you said wasn't misleading), i.e. you backs already couldn't use the crown of the helmet to punish the defender.

Because backs could do this inside the tackle box, is my understanding. Now they can't inside the tackle box or anywhere on the field. In fact, they can't lower their helmet and make contact. And the new rule says nothing about the crown of the helmet. It says lower the head/helmet and make contact, anywhere on the field.

In addition, the old rule allowed the runners to lower head, use crown, and make contact, as long they were weren't lining up the defender. This was because backs sometimes lowered their heads/helmets to protect themselves.

I really don't know how refs will call this penalty. I saw that a former head of NFL refs, or something like that, said he thought there wouldn't be many penalties called, at least in the first year--in large part because it would be too difficult to determine how the rule should be called.

Again, I am only reading the rules and some commentary, and I played tackle football and rugby since late elementary school until I was 51. I know and understand tackling. I don't know the real meaning of the rules or their interpretations.

This is an interesting subject. Feel free to keep responding and pointing out holes in my statements.

 

[violin]

No issues with your comments. I don't know much but I know enough to know what is being said this time of year and what is actually true are two different things. Pereira is all about media attention so I also take some of what he says with a grain of salt.

One thing I'll add is a player lowering his head to initiate contact its going to initiate that contact with his crown. They go hand in hand. Someone launching upgrade could possibly initiate with the crown without lowering their head. There are tackling techniques that don't use the helmet as the primary weapon. If you played rugby you know that. Football is trying to move toward those techniques through rule changes.

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[#15 Fan]

Reading a lot of comments against the changes with worries of moving to touch football...I get it, but unfortunately when you sue the NFL for $800 million, these are going to be the consequences. I get all the arguments of split-second decisions, unintentional helmet-to-helmet contact, etc, but the reality is that if players want to use their heads to hit each other, then blame the league when they and their teammates/other players have issues years down the road, this is going to be the response. Instead of taking some responsibility, they want to blame the NFL...cuz that's the society we live in. Personally, I'm glad to see this happen as I have said for years that I disagree with RB's lowering their helmets to truck someone, and how it's BS that defense can't do that but offense can.

 

[BILLYBEAR]

Just go back to the leather helmets. That should stop the head banging!

 

[Dillon]

Never forget one NFL game this past season. It was Steelers vs Bengals. Most BRUTAL game I've seen in a long time. I was waiting for someone to get thrown out of the game for vicious Head to Head contact. Never happened. Guess I watch too much college football!