A Long Way From Lambeau
Rules Changes for 2010
by Mark Lyne-Austen
31/3/2010
The rules changes for the 2010 NFL season have been headlined by the proposal to amend overtime for the playoffs but the biggest change by far is the elimination of leaping contact to the head. This is a huge change. For some it is further evidence of the game's pandering to non-violent political correctness, for others it will safeguard the standard of living in a particularly dangerous work environment. While both views may be correct, it is a change that will radically alter the game as we know it.
Specifically the rule that makes the difference is the extension of the defenseless receiver rule to everyone. Now it will be illegal to strike the head by launching at a player if that player is unprepared. The classic case cited is of Kurt Warner last year after throwing an interception and being crushed by Bobby McCray. Under the new rules, McCray would have been flagged 15 yards, fined, and be at risk of suspension. Last year it was just a good play.
Dangerous strikes to the head like that inflicted by McCray have been a part of the NFL for years and it is only on very rare occasions such as the violent hit by Oakland Raiders Jack Tatum on New England Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley in 1978 that the damage is life affecting. Most players will never have to experience anything like that but the NFL has been seeking to make the gamer safer for decades. The tackle that ended Bo Jackson's career in 1991 is now an illegal horse collar tackle. Warren Sapp's brutal hit on Chad Clifton in 2002 is nowadays cited as unnecessarily rough blindside hit on an interception. These rules have come in to protect players from injury and they changed the game to make it less hard hitting but they did not have the same in-play impact as this year's amendment.
What makes this version more impactful than the previous is that it changes the nature and style of hitting. The clothesline hit by Donovan Darius on Robert Ferguson in 2004 was an ejection but only just. Referee Ed Hochuli had a judgement call to make in that particular game because a hit with the shoulder would have been legal. Now the only judgement is whether the recipient of the hit is in a position to defend himself. Players are also going to have to make that judgement. Trent Green may still be playing football today if the rules caused Robert Geathers to let Green slide safely rather than leaping into him and causing a severe concussion in 2006.
For safety reasons, perhaps it makes sense but it changes a lot. It changes the technique, it reduces the perception of risk, and it benefits some types of players more than others. Technique may be the last to adapt because players who grew up learning to be hitters may struggle to adapt. There is very little safe ground now to strike. Hitting is by far the most dangerous part of the game. Most injuries in the NFL occur to the tackler. The worst that can happen to a hitter is for their head to connect with an opponent's torso and be forced backwards. David Pollack was the most notable case in recent years, breaking his neck in 2006.
The optimal technique outcome will be more hits with the body and shoulder against the torso of an opponent. Anything else is risky. Going high under the defenseless player scenario is a penalty and a fine, going low is occasionally illegal and also dangerous for the tackler as Trent Green found out with concussion while trying to chop down defenseless player Travis Johnson in 2007. In most situations, the defenseless player needs to be knocked down regardless of being defenseless. Anything less and that player can still impact the play so the hitter still has to go hard but the technique has to be much better and the target zone is now quite small.
The change to the perception of risk will be near impossible to measure. The old mentality of having a head on a swivel no longer holds true in all cases and there will be more times when a player need only worry about the ball rather than who is about to strike them. Whether the defenseless player rule applies to defenders remains to be seen. Defenders are massively more likely to be injured than offensive players but they are less likely to be concussed than a ball-handler. If a defender runs across the field to make a tackle, the illegal crackback block as perfected by Hines Ward only applies in some circumstances and a blocker leaving their feet to impede a tackler now may risk nullifying the play entirely with any incidental contact to the head.
What will change things the most though is the type of player that is emphasized. All-purpose threat Darren Sproles was tormenting the Indianapolis Colts in the 2007 playoffs and a big hit that caused him to leave the field while receiving a kick was celebrated by the Colts as limiting an opponent's significant weapon. As it turned out, it was not enough that day but the hit would be illegal now. Small players with lateral agility benefit from the rule as they are the easiest for a large opponent to hurt. Ultimately though it is the players doing the hitting that will be most affected. The NFL is a game for very fast people and this rule emphasises that requirement. Being in position is hard enough but not being able to leap and make contact with the head means proximity matters so being in space is easier than ever before.
One area where it will actually be easier to be in the right position is for defenders covering short crossing routes thanks to a separate rule change that moves the umpire away from the play. For all the benefits about safety for officials, the in-game change is that pick plays using the umpire are now out. There is no doubt that this is a rare rules change benefit to the defender who will have one less fewer visual point to be concerned about. Of course that is balanced by the defenseless player rule so a linebacker knocking down a crossing receiver within 5 yards from scrimmage may be a thing of the past as the technique required just became harder though cornerbacks will have a slightly increased chance of being in good coverage on that route.
Rules changes for player safety have been happening for a hundred years. The requirement to wear a helmet might have only happened in the 1940s but their use began in the 19th century. Whether it is a good or a bad thing depends on what the viewer wants from their entertainment. What it will mean though is that the highlight reel hits have mostly gone and the leaping hitter inflicting them is a thing of the past.
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