NFL Rule Changes for 2008
Summary of the NFL Football Changes that Passed and Failed This Year
The NFL owners convened in Palm Beach, Florida to decide what proposed rule changes to adopt. More instant replay use? Linebackers with microphones? See the new NFL.
The NFL owners recently spent some time earning a paycheck in the brutal confines of Palm Beach, Florida deciding on which proposed rule changes would make the cut and which would be sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic. Although they still haven’t implemented the “Kicker Ultimate Fighting” to replace the coin toss idea, they did make some changes that will definitely come into play on some close calls down the stretch in big games. So don’t be the one screaming “THEY PUSHED HIM OUT!! HE WOULDA BEEN IN BUT THEY PUSHED HIM OUT!!” come Sundays, because once you read this article you’ll know it doesn’t make a difference anymore.
The Scorecard:
Winners: Troy Polamalu, The Best Team in any Terrible Division, Defensive Backs, Coaches with No Offense, Referees, Defensive Coordinators
Losers: Wide Receivers, The Second Best Team in any Good Division, Kickers
Rule 1: Defense gets a microphone helmet- Similar to the quarterback, the defense can now use a microphone helmet. The problem is, despite all of the lame sportscaster “he’s the quarterback of the defense” references, there really isn’t a comparable position on defense. The team only gets to use one helmet, so they’ll have to find a way to implement this so that someone that’s on the field almost every snap gets the lucky earpiece. Don’t be surprised if you still see coaches using hand signals come Sundays until they get this concept just right.
Rule 2: No more “forceout” rule- It used to be if a receiver caught a pass in the air and WOULD have gotten 2 feet in bounds if not pushed out by a defender, the play would be ruled a reception. Apparently this was too much stress for officials to try to make an actual judgment, so now you either get 2 feet in or it’s incomplete. Just as a technicality, this doesn’t count if the receiver is literally carried out of bounds (good thing they caught that). Look for corners to use the sideline all day long and just go for the big shove if they’re beat.
Rule 3: Defer the coin toss- Hasn’t Pop Warner football had this since 1953? Hard to believe it took the NFL until 2008, but coaches can finally choose to defer if they win the coin toss and want the ball in the second half.
Rule 4: Instant Replay on field goals- From now on if two officials that are charged with nothing else but watching to see if a ball is kicked through the uprights or not can’t get the call right, there’s instant replay. These calls are probably blown more frequently than fans realize; this will be used.
Rule 5: Goodbye to the 5-yard Incidental Facemask- A quick grab of the facemask is no longer a punishable offense. Grab hold and try to unscrew his noggin, it’s still 15 yards.
Troy Polamalu can breathe a sigh of relief as his pretty long locks of hair remain intact. A rule requiring that all long hair be tucked under the helmet (ouch) failed to make the cut. Another proposed initiative would have allowed a wild card team to host a playoff game against a division champion if the wild card team had a better regular season record. Weak division champions can rest assured that they will continue to be the host team regardless of the record of the wild card opponent. No word on whether “Kicker Ultimate Fighting” will be on the agenda next year, but keep your fingers crossed.
