NFL: 4 Rule Changes That Will Prove Problematic in 2011

The theme of this NFL season and the rule changes that will come along with it is safety, safety, safety. 

After criticism and coverage of dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits have increased in the past few seasons, commissioner Roger Goodell has no choice but to lead the effort to limit these types of collisions from occurring. 

Most of these hit have occurred on special teams plays, namely kickoffs, so unsurprisingly, a lot of the rule changes affect kickoffs. 

A few other aspects of the game will see a change, so we should no doubt see an interesting season. (pending its existence) 

Hopefully, these rule changes go over smoothly, but sports are like politics, so obviously, they won't. Here are four of the rule changes that will prove problematic. 

4. Leading with Helmet on a Hit Will Be Penalized an Unnesecary Roughness

The root of the problem here is the physical makeup of the human body: the head is always going to come through before the shoulder when a player makes a hit. 

According to Bucknell University wide receiver Jake Flaherty, (who is also Dallas Cowboy's head coach Jason Garrett's nephew) players are taught to not lead with the crown of the helmet as "the helmet should be used for protection, not as a weapon." He added, however, that "hits where the head comes through first are unpreventable, as it's impossible in the heat of the game to focus on perfect hitting protocol."

This rule will penalize some illegal hits, but more than anything, it will penalize clean, hard hits and lead to a lot of questionable calls. Players are going to be penalized for playing good football, and that's terrible. 

3. Kickoffs Will Take Place from the 35 Yard Line

This rule is again, is being instated in order to enhance player safety. 

The rule is intended to increase the amount of kickoffs that result in touchbacks and therefore limit the amount of times returners get to run the ball back. 

The main problem here is that the NFL Competition Committee is limiting play in favor of touchbacks. They are living in fear, and if their intention is for returners to not return the kick, they might as well just have every team start with the ball on their own 20-yard-line. 

2. Officials Will Review Every Score

This rule will slow down the natural momentum of football and will eliminate the excitement of a coach's challenge. 

We live in a day and age where computers could theoretically referee any sporting event, yet we keep human referees on the field because we appreciate the wholesome opinion of an unbiased person. Whether this opinion is right or wrong, football is not an absolutely precise game, so it's refereeing should not be absolutely precise either. 

Let's not take away the power of the referees for the purpose of absolute precision. 

Absolute precision is boring. 

1. A Receiver Is Defenseless If He Can't See the Defender to Avoid the Hit

This rule has a long and overdone official description, but in Layman's terms, it says that a receiver is defenseless if he does not have the time to see the defender and make a move to prevent the hit.

This is absurd. 

There is a natural momentum to the game of football. Humans are not instantaneous creatures, so defenders must prepare to make a hit three-four seconds before they want the impact to occur. If they must wait for the receiver to see them and be prepared for it, then get ready to start seeing some NFL games ending 90-83. 

This rule actually creates a more dangerous situation. 

You know when you see that driver on the highway who decides to drive 35 mph in the left lane?

Is it safer? No, it's extremely dangerous. The NFL Competition Committee is creating an awkwardly slow situation like this in instating this rule. This is their rash and sorry solution to shut-up the critics who say football is dangerous. 

In Conclusion: Football & Violent Hits Are Like Cookies & Chocolate Chips

I appreciate Roger Goodell and the NFL Competition Committee (NFLCC) taking efforts to protect player safety, because it is, of course, important. 

When these violent hits occur and get heavily publicized on news networks, the NFLCC must not jump to agree that the hits were illegal. The media outlets are noting that football is a violent sport, and that is absolutely, positively true. 

When Desean Jackson got decked last year, that wasn't the first time he got hit like that and it won't be the last. That's his job and role as a wide receiver, and him and all the other receivers in the league know that. 

It would be wonderful if players could play football and never ever sustain a serious injury, yet the only scenario in which that is possible is to make the NFL a flag football league. 

To try to prevent violent hits in football is like taking chocolate chips out the cookie - it's extremely bland.