2013 NFL Off-Season Thread

[NJTank]

I was hoping the Dolphins would sign Bernard "Patriot Missle" Pollard

[Billy B]

The Ravens are just pulling a 2010 Blackhawks. They'll be right back there in three years.

[RyanB06]

On the heels of that, looks like Bernard Pollard (who is now officially a journeyman; from Kansas City to Houston to Baltimore-did I miss a team?) is all set to join the Titans.

Who's next?

I'd rather the Patriots had signed Pollard myself, but to see him go somewhere where he won't hurt us is OK in my book.

[The_Admiral]

The Ravens are just pulling a 2010 Blackhawks. They'll be right back there in three years.

You can't compare football/basketball trajectories to baseball/hockey trajectories

[dbadefense1990]

I was hoping the Dolphins would sign Bernard "Patriot Missle" Pollard

If we were inplying that Bernard Pollard's mission in life is to cripple the New England Patriots, he'd be with the Giants by now.

[fouhy12]

On the heels of that, looks like Bernard Pollard (who is now officially a journeyman; from Kansas City to Houston to Baltimore-did I miss a team?) is all set to join the Titans.

Who's next?

I'd rather the Patriots had signed Pollard myself, but to see him go somewhere where he won't hurt us is OK in my book.

That's what I wanted initially but then I realized he would probably hurt a player in practice.

[JackieMoon]

Even with all the moves that Baltimore has made, they are still a playoff team. Yes, it looks like the Bengals could easily win the North this year, but don't count out those Blackbirds.

[dfwabel]

Even with all the moves that Baltimore has made, they are still a playoff team. Yes, it looks like the Bengals could easily win the North this year, but don't count out those Blackbirds.

Injuries to top NFL players can occur at any time during training came or even in OTAs.

Heck, one year ago today, Suggs had two non-repaired Achilles Tendons. His injury was reported in early May.

[BlueSky]

Not a peep here over the new "no leading with the crown of the helmet" rule? I got more reaction out of my wife than you guys. She said, "Why don't they just put them in ballerina costumes and whenever the tutu is pulled off the guy is down?"

Remember Earl Campbell bulldozing that Rams LB? In the 2013 NFL that would result in...

"Personal foul, number 34, offense, leading with the crown of the helmet. Fifteen yard penalty, repeat first down."

I'm not opposed to it from a safety standpoint, I just think it's going to be almost impossible for ballcarriers to not duck and lead with their heads because that's not so much a technique that's taught as just plain human instinct. I think this has the potential to alienate fans.

[Kramerica Industries]

I think many people here probably changed their minds on that one after hearing how pissed off the demented remains of Emmitt Smith was about this.

[BBTV]

I think that rules like that should NOT be called on the field unless it's blatant beyond any shadow of a doubt. Let them be policed via fines and suspensions from a post-game review. The calls are simply too subjective to be made in the heat of the moment, and could end up severely altering the course of games, much like the calls we're seeing against pass rushers that in hindsight should not have been penalties.

[rams80]

Not a peep here over the new "no leading with the crown of the helmet" rule? I got more reaction out of my wife than you guys. She said, "Why don't they just put them in ballerina costumes and whenever the tutu is pulled off the guy is down?"

Remember Earl Campbell bulldozing that Rams LB? In the 2013 NFL that would result in...

"Personal foul, number 34, offense, leading with the crown of the helmet. Fifteen yard penalty, repeat first down."

I'm not opposed to it from a safety standpoint, I just think it's going to be almost impossible for ballcarriers to not duck and lead with their heads because that's not so much a technique that's taught as just plain human instinct. I think this has the potential to alienate fans.

Just show them pictures of Earl Campbell today. That should solve that problem right quick.

[tBBP]

You know, I got a little confession to make...

...well first of all, bump Emmitt Smith-don't nobody from Pensacola care about him no way.

And second...y'all all know just how big a football junkie I am. Been that way ever since a tike. All that said, somewhere between this job of mine and all this over-legislation on the part of Jolly Roger and Co., I'm slowly but surely becoming turned off to the NFL—real talk. This ain't the same game I grew up watching and loving no more.

Think Imma go jump on the Beej bandwagon for the rest of their season (since Columbus kinda is, you know, right there and all).

[STL FANATIC]

Leading with the crown of your helmet has been illegal for some time. I know that applies to the defense, I believe it applied to the offense too. It's called spearing.

Unfortunately, it's never actually called. Like ever. Ever.

So now they've basically added a rule to force refs to enforce it on the offensive side. That's good. But it's sort of stupid if they don't also force refs to enforce it on the defensive side.

This isn't necessarily about helmet-to-helmet contact. A player can't initiate contact by leading and driving with the top of his helmet, period. Helmet to chest, helmet to leg, anything. I imagine the spearing rule was designed (but never enforced) to protect opponents from injury, but now it's just as important to enforce to protect the idiot doing the hitting from himself.

Again, though, if they don't start calling it on the same way on the defense, it's silly.

But overall I support any move like this. I don't believe in the macho crap. Football can be and should be less dangerous. I'm more than happy to accept changes in the game in order to make that so. Other wise I don't think it's viably long-term.

As for calling it in game, I see the reasoning behind not doing that, but if that's the case (and honestly, even if it's not), the NFL MUST start suspending players for these hits. It's the only way they'll learn. While they care about the fines, it doesn't affect them enough to change their play. Make them miss games. That will.

Also, and this goes contrary to your worry with calling these things in game (and you have a fair point, because it's too often miscalled), I'm intrigued by the idea of 2 strikes and your out. Basically, if you're called for any 2 personal fouls, you're ejected. I think that'd help players change too.

But it's absolutely a fair worry that one or both of those calls leading to the ejection could be entirely wrong. We see those bad calls all the time, and we also see the NHL struggle with it on a one strike and your out basis. (See David Backes being ejected for putting a shoulder into an opponents chest and only his chest earlier this season.)

[Gothamite]

I'd be okay with suspensions for multiple offenders.

You get one fine, and the second time comes with a fine and short vacation. Players will learn quickly enough.

As for defenses, it should be called on them as well. Anyone who weaponizes their head should be severely penalized.

[BlueSky]

Not a peep here over the new "no leading with the crown of the helmet" rule? I got more reaction out of my wife than you guys. She said, "Why don't they just put them in ballerina costumes and whenever the tutu is pulled off the guy is down?"

Remember Earl Campbell bulldozing that Rams LB? In the 2013 NFL that would result in...

"Personal foul, number 34, offense, leading with the crown of the helmet. Fifteen yard penalty, repeat first down."

I'm not opposed to it from a safety standpoint, I just think it's going to be almost impossible for ballcarriers to not duck and lead with their heads because that's not so much a technique that's taught as just plain human instinct. I think this has the potential to alienate fans.

Just show them pictures of Earl Campbell today. That should solve that problem right quick.

Earl's troubles are with his legs, not so much his head as I understand it. Blame the concrete turf they played on back then for that.

@STL Fanatic, as I said I'm all for safety and we'll have to see how this is called. BBTV expressed my feelings on it.. To Buc's point, it just seems we're in danger of having the NFL become so regulated that 1) the officials control the outcome more and more and 2) teams can't run 3 plays in a row without a penalty of some kind.

Then there's the stuff that's always been illegal and is missed or not called. One way or another the power is shifting more and more from the players to the officials and it makes the game hard to watch. Ultimately there may be a line they cross and fan interest will take a nosedive.

[Billy B]

I'm more than okay with the new RB rule as long as they refs don't call it too much. If they only call the blatantly obvious ones and leave the rest for review and the game with a potential for a fine, they'll be fine. I've seen a lot of talk on Facebook how "that's the way players have always been taught to play" when running the ball. I don't know where people get that idea from, but I had the same coaches as them and I know for a fact that they taught us never to lead with the crown of the helmet. It's a good rule and I'm usually against most of the "pussification of the game" rules.

[tBBP]

@STL Fanatic, as I said I'm all for safety and we'll have to see how this is called. BBTV expressed my feelings on it.. To Buc's point, it just seems we're in danger of having the NFL become so regulated that 1) the officials control the outcome more and more and 2) teams can't run 3 plays in a row without a penalty of some kind.

Then there's the stuff that's always been illegal and is missed or not called (Ravens' holding on the game-ending punt or Jones' long KO return). One way or another the power is shifting more and more from the players to the officials and it makes the game hard to watch. Ultimately there may be a line they cross and fan interest will take a nosedive.

This is precisely what I was getting at. It's getting to where I can't even enjoy the flow of action on the field without it being stopped every third play because some zebra done chucked a canary-colored beanbag on the turf somewhere. Then they wanna go and add MORE rules on top of all that, which will undoubtedly lead to more laundry being chucked all over the field...while still employing Mike Carey as a head ref. (Llet THAT one sink in for a second.) After a while it just gets to be too much.

But the killing thing about it though is that a number of these rules changes additions seem to be ore reactionary in nature—the Tom Brady "Skirt" Rule, the Calvin Johnson Rule, shoot even the Bert Emmanuel Rule from after the '99 postseason (he CAUGHT that ball, daggone it!). Them, like Mark Schlereth made a point with a year or two ago, we have officials trying tp legislate intent—and that right there is really going to mess stuff up, especially with this new RB Crown Rule—just watch. (And then undoubtedly any flag thrown on that infraction will lead to a lengthy camera review and all this here, which will just further hold up the game action and mess the whole flow up—and extend game times, a point that probably shouldn't be missed in all this.)

All of that is what I mean by over-legislating. It's gonna come to a point, if they don't do something soon about it, that like Sky said it's gonna turn folks off, like it's been doing with me the past year or two. Instead of adding all this extra, what they really need to do is have a round-table pow-wow around an open version of whatever version of the rule book they have on hand now, meticulously comb through that thing page by page, section by section, line by line, take out all the unnecessary fluff and simplify that thing. Simplify, impose much tougher penalties on the infractions listed in there, and then actively enforce them on the field. Better for all parties involved...officials, players and coaches, and viewers.

[Gothamite]

Or just ban helmets. That would be even simpler. And the "RAWR RAWR SKIRTS!" crowd would be satisfied.

When plastic shells were introduced in the 1940s, many people (including doctors' groups) worried that they would cause more injuries than they prevented. Seems prescient now, even if they couldn't have foreseen the nature of those injuries.

[Lights Out]

I agree with the idea that the game is being overlegislated and bogged down by a ridiculously convoluted rulebook.

It seems that Goodell and the owners are throwing at the wall and hoping it all sticks in an attempt to avoid lawsuits without adequately considering the effects these rules will have on gameplay and officiating. The cynical side of me also thinks these rules get more complicated and require more and more judgement calls by the year as an attempt to give the refs and league an out to do NBA-esque meddling, but chances are, the NFL hasn't stooped to that level of cash-grabbing yet.