There may not be any indication of games being played this season but that isn’t stopping the NFL rules committee from adding another layer to the rule book, new rules that further complicate things for defenders and carry harsher penalties. And with the Raiders defense looking more and more formidable, you can expect some unwelcome punishment this coming season.
The rule changes aren’t all bad. One of the changes eliminates incidental contact to the head of a quarterback by the arms or hands. Those kind of ticky tack penalties can destroy what should have been a great rush on the passer and turn it into a positive for the offense. The new rule only penalizes forcible hits to the head. While it adds a bit more gray area, that can be a good thing when compared to the black and white nature of even the slightest contact with a quarterback’s helmet.
All the other penalties are not in the defense’s favor.
The focus is mostly on launching, which was already illegal in the NFL. But now the rule states that any defender who leaves his feet and uses any part of their helmet when tackling a defenseless player will receive a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty but could also be immediately ejected from the game.
The next rule change adds quarterbacks — immediately following a turnover — to the list of defenseless players. They will be treated in the same way a kicker or punter would in regards to blindside blocks.
Both of these rules are an attempt to prevent “head hunting” as many defenders immediately seek out the quarterback to lay a hard block on the ensuing return attempt after a turnover.
The final rule change affects the team as a whole and is the first of its kind. It says that if a team is a repeat offender of these illegal hits on defenseless players, they will be fined. They are calling the fines “lack of institutional control” and can be up to $200,000.
The most vicious defenses in the NFL are also the ones known for encouraging hits to defenseless players and blindside hits, the Steelers being the biggest repeat offenders. The Steelers are the first team that comes to mind with cheap shots by players like Hines Ward, James Harrison, and Lamarr Woodley. This is why it comes as no surprise that Harrison and Woodley have been crying about the new rules since they were announced. Ward is too busy with dancing competitions to complain about the new rules just yet.
But the Steelers are not the only team that will feel the effects of the new rules.
Raider coach Hue Jackson said when he was hired that he wanted to “build a bully” in Oakland. This can certainly be done while staying within the rules of legal hits. But it is going to be a heck of a lot more difficult now. How do you ask these guys to go out and play at full speed and hit somebody while ensuring everything is legal? I don’t think they can.
The Raiders have long been one of the most penalized teams in football. But most of the penalties are not the kind that would add up to a team fine. Last season, the most vicious hit a Raider defender dished out was Rolando McClain’s decleating of Chargers running back Darren Sproles. Sproles left the game with a concussion but the hit was ruled completely legal. That kind of hard but legal hit is becoming more and more rare.
The rules committee changed rules earlier this offseason when they brought the kickoff five yards closer and gave the coverage team five less yards of a running start. That was to try and eliminate some vicious full speed collisions. These rules are attempting to eliminate cheap shots. Both sets of rule changes are to try and limit injuries.
The problem is that in a violent sport like the NFL, fighting against injuries is akin to the war on drugs or the war on terror. It is a battle that can never really be won. They are certainly trying but it has already cost the game its very identity.
Long gone are the days of defenses being able to strike fear in their opponents. That was something the Raiders thrived on in the 70’s and 80’s, when nicknames like “Dr Death” and “The Assassin” actually meant something.
Nothing left of those days. Now that bully has to pull his punches and attend anger management counseling.
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