NFL Rulebook: Most Annoying Rules and How to Fix Them

The National Football League has few shortcomings, but one of its biggest is that its rulebook reads more like the IRS tax code than as a standardized list of policies for conducting games.

Over time, the league has convoluted, expanded and drawn out so many different rules that the average fan is losing track of the game. That's impending death for any organization. 

I've taken the liberty of listing the 10 most annoying rules in the league and suggested ways of simplifying or eliminating them. I shouldn't have to open my PDF file of the NFL Rulebook every time I watch an NFL game, and neither should you. 

Make a Catch a Catch

This is obvious. The NFL needs to standardize what actually constitutes a catch, and make it simpler and easier to call. This is the NFL's definition of a catch:

A catch is made when a player inbounds secures possession of a pass, kick, or fumble in flight (See 8-1-3).

Note 1: It is a catch if in the process of attempting to catch the ball, a player secures control of the ball prior to the ball touching the ground and that control is maintained after the ball has touched the ground.

Note 2: In the field of play, if a catch of a forward pass has been completed, and there is contact by a defender causing the ball to come loose before—

Holy moly, NFL! A nine-year-old could describe a catch better than this.  

Get Rid of the Tuck Rule

The "tuck rule" isn't so much a rule as it is a provision of what constitutes a forward pass.

The idea is simple enough: if a quarterback's arm moves forward with the ball, it's a forward pass, regardless of the passer's intent. That's dumber and more difficult to call; change it. 

Who cares about intent? If the quarterback isn't throwing the ball and he coughs it up, that should be a fumble. 

Lesser Penalties (But More Fines) for Taunting

I actually like anti-taunting rules; players in any sport should at least put on the facade of showing respect for their opponents.

Talking trash is fine, but prancing around like a fool after you've made one play in a game is too much. That said, those penalties shouldn't be changing the outcomes of games. 

Instead of a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down, let's make it five yards and a first, unless one of the Gramaticas is involved. Then it's an automatic ejection.

No, that's not fair, but I really hate those guys.

Don't Force Teams to Wear White If They Don't Have to

Back in the days of black-and-white photography, it was difficult to tell which team was wearing red or blue or green or whatever. But in this new world of 1080p, we enjoy and demand color.

USC and UCLA figured this out a couple years ago when they decided that both of their teams should wear their home colors in their famed rivalry game. The NCAA even amended their rules to let them do it. 

The NFL should follow suit; if two teams' jerseys contrast each other to the public's general satisfaction, let both teams wear their colored jerseys. 

Scrap the Postseason Overtime Format

The NFL—fearful that a future Super Bowl might be decided by an anticlimactic field goal—decided to modify their "sudden death" overtime format. The current rule guarantees each team a possession in OT unless the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown.

Huh?

Just stick to the classic overtime rules: first team to score wins. I'm ready to go home after three-and-a-half hours at that point. 

Win a Challenge, Keep a Challenge

Why should a coach be awarded a third challenge only if his first two challenges are good? If a coach challenges an incorrect call on the field and he's right, he should get that challenge back.

As long as he has a timeout to use on the challenge, where's the problem?

And the league should stop holding up the game to review every scoring play. Make the coach either use his challenge or not, especially when the close plays where guys didn't score are the ones that need to be reviewed. 

Consistently Penalize 'Defenseless Receiver' Hits...Or Don't

How many helmet-to-helmet hits aren't called each week? And how many times do we see a defender lead with his head to make a tackle?

And how little has that changed since the NFL instituted the crackdown before last year? Sometimes these hits are penalized and sometimes they aren't. 

Nobody wants to see these arbitrary rulings affect the outcomes of games. I have no problem with teams being fined. I do have a problem with players being fined three days after the fact when they're just doing their jobs.

The league should either make the rulings more consistently or stop trying.

Move Kickoffs Back to the 30 (But Get Rid of the Tee)

If teams really wanted to make kickoffs safer, they should keep that hard plastic tee of the field. That thing could really hurt somebody!

Your sarcasm detector should be flashing red right now. But seriously, just make one of those other 10 guys hold the ball. 

Get Rid of the 45-Man Roster Rule

90 minutes before each NFL game, a team has to pare its roster down from 53 active players to 45, declaring the other eight players inactive, or "down" for the entire game.

That seems silly to me. If you have 53 guys on a team, let all 53 players play. 

Ban Brett Favre for Life

It's the only way to be sure.