New rule on lowering helmet will be hard to enforce

[BillsCarnage]

Dear NFL, accept the fact that pro football is a brutal contact sport...

They did until the CTE issue exploded on them. Now they gotta CYA themselves as much as possible.

 

[BillsCarnage]

Mike Jurecki
@mikejurecki

According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent. The player may be disqualified. Applies to any player anywhere on the field.”

Like @BigRedRage mentioned earlier this could be an issue for RB's plowing through a pile. Defenders would be up in arms if this rule only applied to them, butt for the most part it does.

 

[TRW]

Are we really at a point where bending/leaning forward a la a QB sneak or a runner is moving forward cannot be differentiated from a player lowering their head and spearing? My gosh there’s no common sense any more.

 

[Mainstreet]

If players keep their head up all the time, I think injuries will increase.

 

[NJCardFan]

Gotta read past the 10th word of a sentence - you must've missed this part:

"It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent,” the new rule says, according to the NFL.



...dbs

How are they going to determine if it's on purpose? You're going in for a shoulder tackle, the ball carrier changes direction and ends up running into the tackler's helmet, is there going to be a flag?

 

[NJCardFan]

Are we really at a point where bending/leaning forward a la a QB sneak or a runner is moving forward cannot be differentiated from a player lowering their head and spearing? My gosh there’s no common sense any more.

But there are already rules on this. Why do they need a new rule if there already is a rule against spearing and helmet to helmet contact. Now it's if the helmet comes in contact with any part of the body? Games are going to be 4 hours long at best with all the flags.

 

[TRW]

But there are already rules on this. Why do they need a new rule if there already is a rule against spearing and helmet to helmet contact. Now it's if the helmet comes in contact with any part of the body? Games are going to be 4 hours long at best with all the flags.

Exactly.

 

[Southpaw]

But there are already rules on this. Why do they need a new rule if there already is a rule against spearing and helmet to helmet contact. Now it's if the helmet comes in contact with any part of the body? Games are going to be 4 hours long at best with all the flags.

Tell the players not to do it. It's not the refs fault. No problem. Education by repetition.

 

[Southpaw]

Like @BigRedRage mentioned earlier this could be an issue for RB's plowing through a pile. Defenders would be up in arms if this rule only applied to them, butt for the most part it does.

Just a guess, but I would say 99 % of the , up until now, unenforced head shots are on the D side of the line of scrimmage.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Mike Jurecki
@mikejurecki

According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent. The player may be disqualified. Applies to any player anywhere on the field.”

Damn, we are going to need more line depth on both sides of the ball, because every whistle ten guys explode off a line of scrimmage with the helmet making first contact. This new rule is the epitome of complete lunacy with far reaching effects... and it'll make the sport of professional football safer alright, because nobody will be able to play the sport anymore

 

[Ronin]

The NFL Is Still Trying to Work Out the New Helmet-Lowering Rule
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/05/02/nfl-helmet-lower-rule-concussions-ejections

 

[Southpaw]

Well the NFLPA could have all of its members agree to and sign a waiver barring them from suing the NFL for damages for long term CTE/concussions/spinal injury. Then no need to worry about enforcement.

 

[Ronin]

If each NFL game averages 5 'lowering the helmet penalties' and I think that might be low...then there could be 1,280 more penalties in 2018 and each penalty will average 3 minutes that means 15 more minutes to each game and lots of stoppages

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[JCSunsfan]

I know. Put a pressure sensor on the top of the helmets that gives them a pretty good electric shock if it gets hit hard.

Just joking of course. But I don't know how else you can do this when you wear a piece of equipment that takes away the pain of dangerous hits.

 

[NJCardFan]

That's what we need, more yellow flags.

 

[Southpaw]

That's what we need, less head trauma.

FTFY

 

[NJCardFan]

These guys ain't wearing skirts out there and guess what, it's a collision sport. You're never going to have zero head trauma unless you eliminate the hitting and simply make this a flag football league. And in case you're not paying attention, the #3 reason why people are turning the NFL off is the game is held up by too many penalties. I don't know about you but I don't watch a football game so I can see the referee on screen as much as the players. Christ, we have sports out there where the #1 way of winning is to knock your opponent unconscious and we don't hear them whining about head trauma.

 

[Southpaw]

These guys ain't wearing skirts out there and guess what, it's a collision sport. You're never going to have zero head trauma unless you eliminate the hitting and simply make this a flag football league. And in case you're not paying attention, the #3 reason why people are turning the NFL off is the game is held up by too many penalties. I don't know about you but I don't watch a football game so I can see the referee on screen as much as the players. Christ, we have sports out there where the #1 way of winning is to knock your opponent unconscious and we don't hear them whining about head trauma.

as long as it is not your brain.... I guess?

 

[NJCardFan]

as long as it is not your brain.... I guess?

I played football. I understood the risks. I also work in a job that comes with risks which includes the chance that I may be killed and I don't whine about it. If these guys are afraid of getting their bell rung then maybe they need to go into another vocation. Again, there is no fundamental human right to play professional football.

 

[Southpaw]

I played football also. I had a coach who didn't allow drinking of water during practice or games. "Water is for wussies" . His mantra. Times have changed.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

as long as it is not your brain.... I guess?

As long as it is not taking away the freedom to choose what YOU want to do with your life ...... I guess ?

 

[RugbyMuffin]

FTFY

You didn't fix anything.

You just put something about how you feel people should live their lives how you personally deem fit. That is all I saw.

I understand the intentions are good here, but you are taking away people's freedom to make their own choices about their lives. This information has been readily available and front and center in football since 2011.

You can call all these people stupid (which you are implying here, that football players are too stupid to make their own decisions), and want to "save them from themselves" but that is taking away their rights and their freedom. Freedom is not safe, and never has been.

Again, I respect the intentions and the want for a safer place, but with that comes taking away the freedom from others. Its easy to say when it is not something that effects your life and your freedom. No more or less then saying when it is not your head, it is easy to say.

Nothing takes away more freedom than things done in the name of "safety".

 

[Southpaw]

So now the NFL owners will be subject to litigation and settlements down the road for players who suffer head trauma because it was the players freedom of choice? They "didn't know the risk" was the rationale when the player's suit was settled in Federal Court for a few billion. Now they know the risk? Will they be able to say, " the officials didn't rule it a penalty so it was not my fault and I want compensation"?

 

[NJCardFan]

You didn't fix anything.

You just put something about how you feel people should live their lives how you personally deem fit. That is all I saw.

I understand the intentions are good here, but you are taking away people's freedom to make their own choices about their lives. This information has been readily available and front and center in football since 2011.

You can call all these people stupid (which you are implying here, that football players are too stupid to make their own decisions), and want to "save them from themselves" but that is taking away their rights and their freedom. Freedom is not safe, and never has been.

Again, I respect the intentions and the want for a safer place, but with that comes taking away the freedom from others. Its easy to say when it is not something that effects your life and your freedom. No more or less then saying when it is not your head, it is easy to say.

Nothing takes away more freedom than things done in the name of "safety".

To correct one thing, knowing that football is a dangerous sport has been known pretty much forever. Chuck Bednarick had a crooked nose and fingers that went in every direction and I don't ever recall him complaining about it. Hell, this game was once played with leather helmets. I mean, if you didn't think that 2 200+lb men colliding at full speed might be problematic then I don't know what to tell you. As I said above, we've had boxing around forever and the prime objective of boxing is to knock your opponent unconscious and no one whines about it. But your point is taken. This game will never be 100% injury free. Deal with it or find another job.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I played football also. I had a coach who didn't allow drinking of water during practice or games. "Water is for *******" . His mantra. Times have changed.

They used to think it hurt performance and caused cramps. Yikes.