NFL might expand rules to protect QBs

[BipolarFuk]

Thanks to a broken collarbone on a run-of-the-mill sack, the Green Bay Packers are without Aaron Rodgers. Their rivals in the NFC North, the Chicago Bears, are without Jay Cutler thanks to a bum leg, which also wasn't the result of some sort of illegal hit.

Game after game, NFL quarterbacks get sacked, get hurt - and miss starts. Of the 15 games on this week's schedule, nine - 60 percent - feature at least one team that has been forced to change its quarterback because of injury this season.

One of the two teams with a bye, St. Louis, lost its No. 1 guy, 2010 top overall draft pick Sam Bradford, for the season. Bradford, who tore a ligament in his left knee last month, is one of nine quarterbacks on injured reserve in 2013, the second most through 10 weeks in any of the past 15 seasons, according to STATS.

Amid those regular reminders of the dangers facing players at the sport's marquee position, the league's competition committee will take a look this offseason at whether to expand rules that protect the QB, NFL Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino said Thursday.

''Should he always get protection from low hits or head hits, regardless of the posture he's presenting?'' Blandino said in a telephone interview. ''Part of the conversation will be: Should that protection be expanded to all times when the quarterback has the ball in the pocket?''

The committee will review position-by-position injury data and go over video from games, a regular process between seasons.

''Currently the quarterback is as protected now as he's ever been,'' Blandino said, ''but I think that's been the case for eight or nine years.''

A year ago, only one QB had gone on IR by this point in the season. Indeed, 2012 was about as healthy as it gets for quarterbacks: 20 of 32 NFL teams started the same one in every game, the highest percentage for a full, non-strike season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. With nearly half of this season still to play, the number of teams able to rely on one starter at that key spot already is down to 20.

''If you don't have someone who can be productive at that position, you're not going to win many games. You need to keep your quarterback healthy, because on most teams, there's a huge drop-off from the starter to the backup. It's a watered-down position, because there's not a lot of great guys after the top 15 or so,'' Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon said. ''When you get a good guy, you want to keep him healthy.''

Moon sees quite a difference in the way the position is safeguarded nowadays, compared with when he was in the NFL from 1984-2000.

''No question, I wish we were protected better. ... It's a lot safer, because some of the hits we took back in the day - they could still drive us into the turf when they hit us. Those really were painful. Didn't always cause an injury, but made you a little more antsy about taking hits. The guys these days don't really have to put up with it,'' Moon said. ''I don't think there's much more you can do. It's as good as it's going to get, unless you put flags on them.''

He pointed to today's spread offenses, with empty backfields and fewer players hanging back to help in pass protection, as a major reason games are averaging 2.65 sacks, a half-sack more per game than in 2010, for example. That's on pace for the highest rate since the 2.67 in 1986.

It probably is not a coincidence that the seven teams with sole possession of first place in their division entering Thursday started the same guy behind center every week: New England (Tom Brady), Indianapolis (Andrew Luck), Cincinnati (Andy Dalton), Kansas City (Alex Smith), New Orleans (Drew Brees), Detroit (Matthew Stafford) and Seattle (Russell Wilson). So has Denver (Peyton Manning), which at 8-1 has the league's second-best record but is in second place in the AFC West behind unbeaten Kansas City entering their showdown Sunday night.

Already using three QBs are Buffalo, Cleveland and Green Bay, which put Rodgers' backup, Seneca Wallace, on IR, after he oh-so-briefly took over the job. The Packers now have Scott Tolzien, until recently a practice squad member, calling signals against the Giants on Sunday.

The Broncos got a scare last weekend, when Manning limped around after a low hit late in a victory against San Diego. After he skipped practice Wednesday while getting treatment on his sore right ankle, Manning was asked about the slew of QB health issues around the league.

''I don't like talking about it. I don't know what the trends are at other places, but I never like to see a quarterback get injured, I will say that,'' said the four-time NFL MVP, who was at practice Thursday. ''Quarterbacks are a unique fraternity. We kind of pull for one another. Maybe not when you're playing against them that day. Cutler's been injured. I know Rodgers was out. As a quarterback, you don't like to see those guys get injured. I hope they'll be back out there as soon as they can.''

So, of course, do their teams.

 

[Tony D]

F that. Just make it 2 hand touch for the QB's. Joke.

 

[dallen]

It won't be long before some team starts using Princeton's 3 QB package to take advantage of these rules

 

[dallen]

F that. Just make it 2 hand touch for the QB's. Joke.

Someone might touch the QB too hard. Better to just make it an automatic sack if the QB holds the ball for more than 4 seconds after the snap

 

[L.T. Fan]

F that. Just make it 2 hand touch for the QB's. Joke.

Nah. That wold be too controversial. Put a flag in their waist band or Velcro it on.

 

[ravidubey]

Better to just make it an automatic sack if the QB holds the ball for more than 4 seconds after the snap

Nah. That wold be too controversial. Put a flag in their waist band or Velcro it on.

I don't see where else they can go but moves like this... better equipment?

 

[superpunk]

It really seems like more and more NFL games come down to who can get the most roughing the passer/crucial holding and PI calls.

Romo would be so much better if he'd just start slinging it.

 

[Cotton]

Someone might touch the QB too hard. Better to just make it an automatic sack if the QB holds the ball for more than 4 seconds after the snap

You joke, but I could see that happening.

 

[data]

I'd rather watch a defensive player go 100% after a flag then go 80% where they can't hit below the thigh, above the chest, too soon, too late, etc.

 

[boozeman]

Fixing the NFL

It may take some radical moves to make NFL play safer but still exciting


Originally Published: November 21, 2013
By Jason Whitlock | ESPN.com



I'm falling out of love with professional football. We're growing apart. She's not the same game I remember as a young man.

She's unfair, favoring the fair-haired quarterback over all others. She's codependent, controlled and manipulated by overworked and/or narcissistic referees. She's put on weight and grown soft in all the wrong places, enacting strict rules about where, when and how she can be touched when we're most intimate.

I don't want a divorce. Football loved me when no one else would. She supported me through college. She's been the backbone to my career. She never gets jealous when I sneak off with basketball, golf, the Olympics or any of the other girls. It's been a wonderful, 40-year open marriage.

But we need counseling. We need to rework our relationship. We need ideas on how to spice up our love life. Occasional trips to Vegas for a wild romp at a sports book are no longer enough.

Sunday was my breaking point. Football and I were spooning on the couch watching the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers exchange haymakers. With the Saints down three points late and the game on the brink of climax, Ahmad Brooks shot past the right tackle, steamrolled toward Drew Brees and bear-hugged the QB at his collarbone. The ball popped loose. The 49ers recovered and seemingly salted away a well-earned victory.

I was absolutely elated. Great game. Great finish. A tough football team won a tough football game by making the toughest play. That's the game I love unconditionally.

The ref wiped out the play. He threw a flag, penalizing Brooks for hitting Brees in the neck area. The Saints went on to win the game. It was flag football. That's what we have now in the NFL, a game dominated by judgment calls from name-brand referees, a game in which you have to ask permission to touch the quarterback, a game that wants to become safer through punishment.

"Scared straight doesn't work," Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green told Showtime's "Inside the NFL." "If it did, we wouldn't have all these people in prison."

Rather than punishment, Green championed a dramatic rule change to cut down on dangerous, concussion-causing hits. He suggested rules that stipulate safeties line up much closer to the line of scrimmage and cornerbacks must play man-to-man defense.

It's a fabulous idea. It doesn't quite go far enough though.

Given the league's justified safety concerns and its investment in star QBs, football is in need of an overhaul. I love Green's concept. I just want to enhance it. And I'd love to see the NFL test out these ideas in the Pro Bowl. There's no better place to experiment on the game than in Honolulu with the world's best players as lab rats. These tests would give the Pro Bowl a significance it hasn't had for decades.

Green is right about moving safeties closer to the line of scrimmage. You ever wonder why, on average, there are more big, over-the-middle hits in the NFL than in college and high school? It's because the safeties play deeper in the pros. Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones and strong-armed quarterbacks scare the hell out of NFL defensive coordinators.

In a standard Cover 2 NFL defense, the safeties line up 14 to 20 yards off the line of scrimmage. A weenie-arm high school QB and a 4.8-40-yard-dash receiver don't strike fear. In a standard Cover 2 high school defense, the safety lines up 10 to 15 yards off the line of scrimmage. Those 5 to 10 yards make a huge difference upon impact. Less time to gather speed means less impact upon collision.

If you make Washington safety Brandon Meriweather stand 8 yards from the line at the snap, he's going to blow up far fewer receivers. NFL safeties are big, athletic, fast, smart and instinctive. Give 'em a 20-yard downhill run and they can do a lot of damage. We need to shorten their runway.

Rule No. 1: No defender can line up more than 8 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Rule No. 2: Eight defenders must line up within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.

I don't like Green's suggestion that corners must play man-to-man. I'm against limiting Dick LeBeau's creativity. A 76-year-old mind is a terrible thing to waste.

However, I would enact a rule that makes it much easier to play man-to-man. The game is too easy for the offense. We've yet to invent a quarterback better than John Elway. But all the rules changes have made Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and all the rest perform at Dan Marino levels.

That's not the game I love. Let's make the game fairer for defenders. Let's give the defense some tools.

Rule No. 3: Bump-and-run, physical pass coverage is allowed everywhere on the field until the ball is in the air.

No more bogus illegal contact penalties for inconsequential handsy stuff. No more ticky-tack pass interference calls. Let's make receivers fight to get off the line of scrimmage and fight to get open downfield. Let's play defense!




My next set of rule changes will be the most controversial. It's necessary. And remember, we can test these rules at the Pro Bowl.

Rule No. 4: Quarterbacks are not allowed to run the ball past the line of scrimmage.

Yep. No more running QBs. Once a quarterback steps beyond the line of scrimmage the play is dead. You don't want QBs to get hurt? Stop them from running.

Rule No. 5: The offense gets a 12th man -- a sixth blocker, a noneligible receiver.

Bringing the safeties closer to the line will make it much more difficult to run the football. Outlawing quarterbacks from running will make it much more difficult to run the football. Allowing defensive backs to play physical with receivers will make it more difficult to pass the football. How do we solve all of these issues? We give the offense an extra blocker. This will help with the running game and pass protection.

Peyton Manning will have more time to throw the football. He'll make good use of it.

Along with these changes, I propose that we take a hard look at relaxing the rules regarding hitting a QB in the head and neck areas.

Forbidding a defender from leading with his helmet to the chin and head area is a good rule. Ahmad Brooks' hit on Brees should be perfectly legal. Accidental head slaps to the helmet area are no big deal and shouldn't be penalized.

It's fine to penalize helmet/shoulder pads/body shots to a quarterback's knees. A defender should be allowed to tackle, with his hands and arms, at the QB's knees and shin.

Hitting the quarterback hard in the pocket while he is holding the football is an essential element of football. This cannot be eliminated. When a QB releases the ball, I'm all for protecting him. But we've clearly gone too far. Drew Brees is a football player. Football is supposed to hurt.

Like the rest of America, Roger Goodell and the NFL have fallen in love with a law-and-order approach to every problem. The league wants to fix its concussion problem with fines, penalties and handcuffing defenders. Punishment doesn't address root causes.

If the NFL fixes its game by massaging its rules, college and high school football will follow suit, and the game will be safer for kids. That's how we all win. That's how we get back the game we love.

 

[1bigfan13]

If the NFL is really serious about making the game safer here's a simple solution for them.

Start testing for HGH.

Correct me if I'm wrong but when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s you didn't see near as many injuries as you do now. That's because players are bigger and faster than ever before. And why is that? Because they are downing/using supplements and HGH by the truckload.

Ban the supplements, start testing for HGH, then sit back and watch the incredible decrease in total injuries.

And it won't take long for the effects to be noticeable. Look at most of the guys who just left the NFL. They go from 325lb linemen down to 250lbs in a matter of months.

Same thing happened in baseball. As soon as MLB starting testing for PEDs the HR numbers magically begin to decrease at a rapid pace. Instead of having 10 guys per league hitting over 40 HRs like we used to see, now only 2 or 3 are topping 40.

Increase the PED restrictions in the NFL and that will fix this injury problem. Only problem is the NFLPA will fight it tooth and nail just like the MLBPA.

 

[boozeman]

If the NFL is really serious about making the game safer here's a simple solution for them.

Start testing for HGH.

Correct me if I'm wrong but when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s you didn't see near as many injuries as you do now. That's because players are bigger and faster than ever before. And why is that? Because they are downing/using supplements and HGH by the truckload.

Ban the supplements, start testing for HGH, then sit back and watch the incredible decrease in total injuries.

And it won't take long for the effects to be noticeable. Look at most of the guys who just left the NFL. They go from 325lb linemen down to 250lbs in a matter of months.

Same thing happened in baseball. As soon as MLB starting testing for PEDs the HR numbers magically begin to decrease at a rapid pace. Instead of having 10 guys per league hitting over 40 HRs like we used to see, now only 2 or 3 are topping 40.

Increase the PED restrictions in the NFL and that will fix this injury problem. Only problem is the NFLPA will fight it tooth and nail just like the MLBPA.

Good idea.

I don't think 300 lb. guys would shrink 50 lbs., but I think it would make an impact.

 

[Clay_Allison]

If they wanted to make the game safer they would enact weight limits by position and shrink them every year until we had 1960s sized guys.

 

[L.T. Fan]

If they wanted to make the game safer they would enact weight limits by position and shrink them every year until we had 1960s sized guys.

Yep. A lot of the injuries are due to the sheer velocity of the players and the way they throw their bodies around. They seem to want to hit someone rather than tackle them. That participated the use of the helmet because it is natural for it to be the contact point when you hurl yourself at another. Tackling and wrapping up with your arms is a different body position with your head and shoulders. It is also becoming extinct in the sport.

 

[Cotton]

Yep. A lot of the injuries are due to the sheer velocity of the players and the way they throw their bodies around. They seem to want to hit someone rather than tackle them. That participated the use of the helmet because it is natural for it to be the contact point when you hurl yourself at another. Tackling and wrapping up with your arms is a different body position with your head and shoulders. It is also becoming extinct in the sport.

I think it pretty much is extinct at this point.

 

[Plan9Misfit]

F that. Just make it 2 hand touch for the QB's. Joke.

Put skirts on them, but you can't make it "two hand touch", Tony. That's clearly too much contact for those guys. Flag football. Or better yet, "dirty look and mean words" football. A defensive player looks at the QB sternly and yells, "FALL DOWN". Anything else results in a penalty.

 

[Plan9Misfit]

If these assholes want to really improve player safety and protect themselves, and specifically the QB, here's a great solution: take the face masks off of the helmets. Players will be far less prone to take risks with their bodies because they'll hurt themselves and know they can literally cripple another human being.