| About Football Out of Bounds | |
Date: Oct. 8, 2002
Last week, I went Out of Bounds to rant about the actions and attitude of Randy Moss. And it felt so good to get that tirade off my chest that I decided to unleash my opinions on the NFL rules makers and officials that continue to try to sissify the game.
Is it just me, or is the NFL taking the smash out of smash-mouth football?
Every year the league goes further to protect its marquee players, and every year we see more and more questionable calls on personal fouls. As a result, every year I get more and more ticked off at the NFL and its crusade to end all injuries to certain positional players while ignoring the impact it is having on the game.
Every time I see a bone-crushing hit, I just cringe, expecting the flags to fly. It seems the officials are now scrutinizing every big hit, and much too often a defender is improperly penalized for making what should have been a good play.
I'll give you the intentional helmet-to-helmet and blow-to-the-head calls, although I think at times the offensive player creates the contact by lowering his head at the last second, but I'm tired of the preferential treatment that the so-called skill players receive. I realize the NFL is trying to cut down on injuries to its star players, and they should make sure there are no unnecessary injuries, but in my opinion, they have gone too far. If a football player is attempting to make a play on the football, I don't care how unprotected he is, he should be fair game for the defense.
In light of what I see as a rash of calls that go against the spirit of the game, I've put together a list of these types of circumstances where I feel the NFL is wrong in giving special protection. Some are relatively new, but others have been around for a while.
1. The new "unprotected" rule. I absolutely hate this new rule designed to keep receivers from taking a shot while they are in a prone position. I say if the guy is making an attempt to catch the ball, the defender should have the right to try to knock him into next week... whether he's prone or not. And if the receiver comes down without the ball and is hit after taking a step or two, then call a penalty. But don't penalize the defender for putting a shot on a guy who is still in the air or one that has possession of the ball simply because he's not ready to take the hit.
2. Allowing the quarterback the opportunity to "throw the ball away" when he is out of the pocket is another unfair advantage for the offense. Why should they be rewarded by moving the ball back to the original line of scrimmage every time the defense gets pressure on the quarterback. I say, if the quarterback drops back to pass, he should have to earn his way back to the line of scrimmage, and beyond, by making a legitimate attempt to pass the ball or by running it. If the quarterback wishes to escape the hit, he can slide to avoid the punishment and take the ball where he went down or he can run out of bounds.
3. Another quarterback complaint... With the size, speed, and agility of some of the quarterbacks in the NFL, getting these guys on the ground can be tough by normal standards. Give them a few advantages, and it becomes nearly impossible.
When a defender has his arms around a quarterback like a Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick, how can you penalize him for making sure the quarterback goes down? Too many times this season I've seen a defender flagged for pulling the quarterback to the ground after he releases the pass. With the athletic ability of some of these guys, it's unfair to ask a defender to stop tackling a quarterback already in his grasp when he flips the ball to a safety valve at the last second.
Sure, if the quarterback is maliciously slammed to the turf, it's a penalty, but we're getting these calls on normal tackles on a regular basis.
4. The fair catch. This one has been around for a while and it's not high on my list of pet peeves, but I still think it's detrimental to the game. How can you make a play any more boring than allowing the defender to hold up his hand and call a timeout in the middle of the play.
The solution? Use the halo rule to give the return man a cushion. He always has the option of letting the ball go and taking his chances with the luck of the bounce if he doesn't want to risk taking a hit.
In conclusion, let me tell you that I can live with fair catches and quarterbacks intentionally grounding the football, but I say it's time the NFL let these football players go back to hitting and playing football the way it was meant to be played.
Stop treating NFL players like they're a bunch of schoolgirls and give me back my father's NFL!
Got any NFL "pet peeves"? Add 'em to the list!
