The National Football League’s rules have been progressively changing for the past couple of years. Most of these rules have been driven by the desire to increase player safety but, at the same time, these rule changes are starting to turn football into something it’s not: a non-contact sport.
Ever since the game of football was created, the people who play it have been aware of the consequences and, yet, they are still willing to play the sport. Helmets were not made mandatory in the NFL until the 1943 season, and it wasn’t even until the 1940s that the modern day plastic helmets were invented.
While it is a good thing that each helmet seems to be safer than its predecessor, the rules of the game need to stop changing just in the name of player safety.
The latest rule change that the NFL will implement in the upcoming season is that offensive players will no longer be allowed to lower their heads once outside of the tackle box, or the area between the two tackles when the offense is set for a play. Basically, running backs are not allowed to do what they have always been taught to do: get lower than the defender.
I’m not the only one voicing my opposition to this new rule change. Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk said, “You run with your chin up, you run with your eyes up, you are going to get hurt.” The NFL is trying to increase player safety, but they may inadvertenly increase the number of injuries.
Not only does this take away from the game itself, but it will be a very hard rule for the officials to call correctly. When the officials are on the field, they only have a split second to make the call with no chance to review the play and see if they were correct or not. Let’s be honest.Referees have a hard enough times making calls as it is, let alone adding another very subjective rule.
Starting with the 2011 season, the NFL changed kickoffs from the 30 to the 35 yard line in order to produce more touchbacks. This may seem like a miniscule distance, since a football field is 100 yards, but trust me, it made a huge difference. More touchbacks means less returns, hence increased player safety. At the same time, less returns equals way less excitement for fans — you know, the people who control the industry.
Even the leading kick returner of all time, Devin Hester disagrees. He posted on Twitter, “They’re going too far. They’re changing the whole fun of the game.”
However, this may only be the beginning of a complete evolution of the kickoff in the NFL. While this time it was five-yard adjustment, there have been rumors circulating throughout the football world that the NFL may completely eliminate the kickoff. I may not be a football expert but I can tell you one thing, if the NFL takes away the kickoff, they might as well kiss their ratings goodbye.
