James Harrison, Helmet-to-Helmet Hits and the New "Steelers" Rule

Roger Goodell has taken another step toward turning the NFL into a seven-on-seven, no contact, passing drill.

On Wednesday, Goodell passed a new rule that will hold team's owners financially accountable for any illegal or flagrant hits by their players.

This rule is designed to create more accountability within organizations and to continue to make the league safer than it has been in the past.

As could have been anticipated, the Pittsburgh Steelers—and especially Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison—did not find this new rule appealing.

Harrison was fined $100,000 in 2010 for hits deemed too aggressive by the NFL's front office.

On a newly created blog, Harrison predictably sounded off on the direction the league is moving in and specifically Goodell's quest to change the culture of a tackle:

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"It’s been weighing heavy on my mind all day, so I figure I might as well just let it out.  I want to make it clear that I am all for player safety.  I don’t disagree with all of the rule changes.

But come on…REALLY? Now you have to wait until a guy catches, or even worse, you have to let them catch the ball before you can even attempt to tackle him.  Along with that, you cannot let any part of your helmet or facemask touch any part of them basically from the chest up. If you are following the letter of the rules exactly, now most tackles, if not ALL tackles can be flagged, fined and/or result in ejection from that game, or future game(s).

I understand the intent behind making the rules, but in their attempt to make the game safer, they are actually clouding what is allowable.  Even the referees are confused.  A close look will show you that the referees were calling things that were not even supposed to be called, and NOT calling things that were actually illegal."

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Harrison also took exception to the, in his opinion, obvious targets:

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"These rules are targeting hard hitting players and defenses i.e. STEELERS.  I guess the NFL needed a poster child for their campaign.

The quarterback rule clarification (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 13) is a great change.  But that’s just saying “Hey Steelers..by the way…Ben’s nose getting broken last year really did not deserve a penalty.”

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As a Steelers fan, I am not surprised by Harrison's comments.  I think most people, including Goodell, anticipated the response.

I understand and respect the fact that Harrison is only speaking out in favor of how he believes the game should be played. I also understand—and wish that he would understand—that it doesn't matter.

Goodell is obviously intent on taking the NFL down a notch in terms of hard-nosed, smash mouth football and that will not change because a few players feel the change unnecessary and detrimental to the game itself.

Every new rule needs a poster boy and Harrison has and will always be the target of the most scrutiny, not just because of the hits themselves, but because of the ensuing arguments the rest of the week in the media.

Harrison does not like being shown up and made an example of by the NFL's league office and Goodell does not like being shown up by a hard-hitting linebacker that he feels is putting other players in danger.

Personally, I enjoy watching the Steelers defense make the lives of the opposing offense miserable every Sunday. I enjoy the big hits and do not pay much attention to the fines handed out during the week. These fines do not put a significant dent in these highly-paid athletes pockets and the hits that cause the fines are an unavoidable part of a violent, contact sport.

What I don't enjoy is the never-ending media sparked debate between the two sides. From Monday through Saturday, the topic seems to be who is right and who is wrong concerning the safety and culture of the NFL.

The bottom line is, the league cannot fine players for a game that isn't being played.

So the real debate is, why are they not more concerned with resolving the labor disputes rather than fining players for a hypothetical 2011 season?