RiverDog wrote:I haven't read the new rule, but the old rule applied only when the RB was outside the tackle box and was not enforced at all. IMO a GM would be foolish to let a brand new rule affect their draft strategy in the first year before teams get a chance to see how this is going to be implemented by the officials and what, if any, it has on offenses and/or defenses.
NorthHawk wrote:The problem is nobody knows how it is to be enforced. Not even the teams.
Basic questions of how does a RB pass block? When a guy is 8 inches taller and 100lbs heavier with a head of steam, how does the RB run block without lowering his head?
How about OL play? Does lowest man still win? Can you only tackle with your arms, now and if you are still permitting shoulder tackles, a good ball carrier could stop and time it so as to have the DB contact the runner with his head first so as to
get a 15 yard penalty.
NorthHawk wrote:What I'm getting at is how much of a mess the NFL has made of this.
A team could end up drafting a bunch of players that will have problems succeeding with the changes, not to mention paying big money for Free Agents.
It's not an easy thing to do in resetting your draft board to take advantage of rule changes.
Old but Slow wrote:Leather helmets. Think about it.
RiverDog wrote:I mentioned this once before, but my old man, who played during the leather helmet days, used to claim that face masks changed the way players tackled. It used to be that the first point of contact was the shoulder, and would place their head/neck to one side or the other of the ball carrier's body. He claimed that the face mask was counter productive, that although it protected your choppers, that it led to more serious head and neck injuries.
I'm not advocating doing away with the face mask, but it is something to think about.
NorthHawk wrote:That can help, but the Linemen have contact with their helmets on every play so the accumulation of hits will be a big concern
Right, which is why the helmets will also be able to monitor accumulation of hits and coaches/medical staff can make adjustments accordingly.
NorthHawk wrote:Wouldn't that mean teams would have to have more DL/OL on the team as players are removed after too many accumulated hits?
NorthHawk wrote:It seems there are some interesting changes afoot.
Thanks for the link and info.
NFL head of officiating Al Riveron confirmed to reporters today that linemen who come out of their stances with their heads down and initiate contact with the top of the helmet will be penalized.
“It’s really about hands first, head to the side,” Vincent said. “Let’s get the shoulder back involved in the game, let’s make sure we get the hands back involved in the game.”
c_hawkbob wrote:Depending how it's enforced it could well be significantly different. We used to be coached to "get a hat on a hat", and how much of hour "M" on the side of our helmet was missing by the end of the season (obviously from head first contact) was a bragging point ... I'm just saying that the leverage of getting lower than your opponent isn't going away with this rule and linemen will still be putting a hand in the dirt. D-linemen in particular, but O-linemen as well, will just have to get used to using their hands more as first contact than their heads.
RiverDog wrote:We've had a lowering the head rule aimed at ball carriers like Beast for the past 3-4 years, using the helmet as a battering ram, but in all the football games I've watched since the rule was implemented, I've never seen it called.
Has anyone else seen this rule I am referring to called during a game?
We've had a lowering the head rule aimed at ball carriers like Beast for the past 3-4 years, using the helmet as a battering ram, but in all the football games I've watched since the rule was implemented, I've never seen it called.
Has anyone else seen this rule I am referring to called during a game?
North Hawk wrote:]Not me. But this is a little different in that it's been a big part of the training for positional players like the play at the LoS.
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