Rule Changes Are Ruining the NFL: An Editorial

Last night, the Ravens and Jaguars locked up in a game that made you unsure if the defenses were that good, or the offenses were that bad. Jacksonville fumbled three times, once inside the 1 yard line and the Ravens didn't get a first down until nearly 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. What stood out to me was not the action by the players, but the actions of the referees.

I took the following information from the ESPN.com staff as the discussion was going on there as well. This is according to the NFL Rule Book.

Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8 (Unnecessary roughness) in the NFL rulebook
(f) If a player uses any part of his helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/”hairline” parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily. Although such violent or unnecessary use of the helmet and facemask is impermissible against any opponent, game officials will give special attention in administering this rule to protecting those players who are in virtually defenseless postures, including but not limited to:

(1) Forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head, neck, or face with the helmet or facemask, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him; or

(2) Lowering the head and violently or unnecessarily making forcible contact with the “hairline” or forehead part of the helmet against any part of the defenseless player’s body.

Now, let's take a look at the two plays in question and their direct effect on the game as it was. With 12:40 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Jacksonville faced a 3rd and long play. Blaine Gabbert dropped back to throw and Deji Karim got his hands on the ball. It squirted through for what would have been an incompletion and then was punished by Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard. Here's the video of the hit.

By my estimation, that is a clean, legal hit. The only reason Pollard lowered his helmet was to avoid contact with Karim's. He squares him up wraps his arms around him and takes him to the ground. Did he make contact to the receiver's head or neck forcibly? There is a little contact but it's little more than the face mask brushing the top of Pollard's helmet as he comes in to make the play. So in light of the rules, by the book this play should not have been called unnecessary roughness. After this play, the Jaguars were given a first down and new life as they went down to kick a field goal to go up by 9.

It's a play that looms large because let's say for the sake of argument, the rest of the game goes unchanged. The Ravens score a touchdown to make the score 9-7 with just over 2 minutes remaining. Now, without that penalty, the Jaguars do not get their third field goal of the game at that point. Remember that we're under the assumption the rest of the game has the same result. If the Jaguars do not get that field goal, the Ravens take the lead with 2 minutes remaining at 7-6 and in that instance would not need to attempt an onside kick and make Jacksonville drive the length of the field to try and win it with either a touch down of field goal. That is a game changing call and one that directly affected the outcome of last nights game.

Later in the game, the Ravens were on their only scoring drive of the night, late in the fourth quarter. On a 1st and 10, Joe Flacco threw the ball deep to Torrey Smith who was leveled on the play and knocked out of bounds. Smith held onto the ball but was ruled out before he came down to the ground. Here is the video from that play. Scroll to 3:36 on the video, I couldn't figure out how to link it at a specific time.

Again, the receiver goes up to catch the ball and is leveled by the defender. Well, where's the flag? If Karim was defenseless, why wasn't Smith? Was it because he caught the ball? Look at it from the point of view from the defender. The player in front of you gets his hands on the ball and you are running toward him at full speed and then you make a hit. It's a bang bang play in both cases and in my opinion both plays are clean, hard hits. In my opinion, both plays either need to be flagged or not flagged but they should be treated fairly. Not make it a guessing game for defenders. What's frustrating about the unnecessary roughness call is the last part of the rule. Again, thanks to the ESPN.com team who illustrated the rule on their website this morning:

"If in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactics, the covering official(s) should always call unnecessary roughness."

So according to the last statement, if a referee doesn't know if the play was an illegal hit, it should be treated as an illegal hit. I don't like that. These players have been trained for years that you hit the guy with the ball as hard as you can to make him drop the ball. That helps your team. Let's say Pollard pulls up and doesn't lay a hit on Karim and he holds onto the ball. He stops for fear of drawing a penalty and Karim takes it up the middle of the field for a big gain. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I don't like that a referee's unsureness can change a game so drastically.

The other rule which is ruining the NFL is moving the kick off to the 35 yard line. In the NFL, kickers were already getting touch backs on a regular basis. Now, it's a surprise if it's not kicked out of the back of the end zone, or the returner takes a knee. It's making the kick off a pointless endeavor. If the NFL is truly trying to put out the best possible product while prolonging players' well being, just start every drive after a score at the 20. Acting as though the kick off is still the same as it was is a sham. It's a wasted play and an insult to fans watching on TV and at the stadium.

I understand that these rules are in the best interest and the safety of the players. I get that. However, it seems that the NFL is getting too gun shy with these games and is getting to the point of alienating it's fan base. People go to games to see big plays, big guys and big hits. No one wants to see a concussion, but at the same time people want to see these players playing to their full potential. One solution I've heard and it makes sense to me is to take away the helmets all together. Maybe guys won't throw their head around like wild men if their head isn't protected and the superman complex is gone.