“Make Football Violent Again” is the Trump-like slogan embroidered on the hat of hard-hitting Minnesota Vikings Safety Andrew Sendejo. He is one of many players griping at the recent rule changes in the National Football League. The reference to Trump’s (in)famous slogan is funny, but in this instance, not a joke. Players are confused, unsure, and flat out angry about how to properly play the game they know and love. The new rule changes are revolutionary in a way that players, coaches, referees, and fans have never seen before. The NFL’s massive concussion lawsuit, and breakthroughs in the study of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) have undoubtedly forced their hand in making the game safer. Everyone can acknowledge that rules need to be developed to have player safety fully in mind. Change is needed, but the league is not going about it the right way. The “helmet rule” means defenders can no longer make any tackle by leading with the crown of their helmet.
The NFL should partner up and change the rules at the lower levels of football before completely overhauling professional rules. This means that any unconventional rule change, such as the “helmet rule,” should first be put forth at the youth, high school, and college levels before being fully engrained into the professional league. They should not have forced such a massive change before examining it during a “grace period.” The four-game pre-season with minimal reps for the ones and twos is not enough. Making change at the lower levels will enhance fluidity in the current dreaded transition period at the highest level. This season will see an astronomical shift toward the offense at the expense of controversy and player safety (which we are trying to avoid).
One fact that cannot be overlooked when examining the “helmet rule” is the speed of the game. Players have trained their entire careers one way, now have to overhaul techniques on the fly. The NFL will not discuss this huge flaw in making such an enormous rule change to “benefit” player safety. In fact, I would argue that the implementation will handicap the mission for increased player safety. Football is a game played so quickly. In these split seconds, players must rely on technique to put themselves in healthy positions to make plays. This rule change, which penalizes one substantial way to get an offensive player to the ground, and/or break up passes in the secondary, will create uncertainty in these split seconds. Any uncertainty means that the player is far less likely to have himself in an effective, safe football position.
The game has never been faster. Athletes are bigger, stronger and quicker than ever before. The league is littered with freaks on both sides of ball including defensive players, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald, JJ Watt, Bobby Wagner, and Patrick Peterson. On the offensive side of the ball, fans see the talents of Odell Beckham, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, LeVeon Bell, Cam Newton, and Aaron Rodgers. These talents are extraordinary, unique and do not even give the full picture of the spectacular athletes that showcase their abilities every week. When you take into account this talent, and how fast the league plays the game, it is ludicrous to impose a rule such as the helmet rule with no grace period. What truly defines leading with the crown of your helmet? Are there cases in which referees will make exceptions? There is no clear determination of what is a legal hit and what is not. The league cannot think defensive players will be able to effectively adjust in such a short period of time. The new rule is especially detrimental to the defensive secondary and their ability to make tackles in the open field. The guys at the back end often have the longest distance and most space to cover when securing a tackle. Taking down an elusive back in space, with distance to cover, is arguably the hardest thing to do in all of sports. Players, who already have a tendency to hit low, will continue down that path and try to take out legs more often. This will result in an increase in severe leg injuries, including the dreaded ACL tear. Wide scale changes should be implemented when players have been developed properly.
Roger Goodell is known for jumping to conclusions and making decisions before gathering all the necessary details. Fans and players have to understand the logic and driving forces behind the recent rule changes. The commissioner has his hands full with pending lawsuits and public pressure to make the game safer. Defenses will get the short end of the stick, and fans will see an unprecedented offensive explosion. Touchdowns, more specifically, long touchdowns will be up at an unprecedented rate. It will be ugly and controversy will be on the rise. Nonetheless, those in power will ignore this, and rush into changes. The NFL brand will endure damage without seeing early dividends. This season will be exciting as far as offensive firepower but, will be littered with controversy. Results will be efficient after some time to get acclimated which is why the league should seek to line up different rules with the next generation of players. At the very least, a grace period should have been part of the compromise to better examine the helmet rule and allow it to be phased in. The best way to protect these players is to gradually make the change and not force current players into uncomfortable positions on the football field. In order to see the benefits and increased player safety, the league should have allowed the changes to be made at the amateur levels, where these players are still being developed.