Well here we are in the dark days of the NFL calendar. The NFL tried their best to make every month of the year seem just as important as the next, but come on that’s not possible. So here I am left to overreact to rules changes and any other little news tidbits that come my way…
Firstly, the three day draft sucks. Two days was a lot, one day seemed about right. But I understand that the NFL needs to find a way to make money, I mean it’s not like they have a nine billion dollar TV deal. Errr- I mean, it’s not like they didn’t get taken to the cleaners on that concussion lawsuit. Oh wait, I know why they need more money- with Ralph’s passing they no longer have a tightwad in their midst to make sure they don’t spend all their money like Jim Irsay at a Ratt Dogg show…
To the actual rules changes. The NFL decided to honor the late, great Ralph Wilson by doing the cheapest thing they could think of- they voted down the idea to put dedicated camera on each sideline, the endlines and goal lines. These cameras would serve the purpose of ensuring that the right call is made for touchdowns and out of bounds plays. They would have cost about $100,000 (I’m estimating on the very high end here) per stadium, so about $3.1 million total. That would equate to approximately one less ivory backscratcher for each owner, so we can’t have that. Getting calls correct is certainly not worth such an expense.
In what is being deemed as an “experiment to see the effect on the game,” the first two preseason games of the year will see extra points kicked from the 28 yard line (ball snapped from the 20). This rule change was originally proposed by Bill Belichick in an effort to make the extra point a more competitive play. When I learned that the league was interested in possibly changing the rule I thought to myself, “OK, where’s the catch. This makes way too much sense for the NFL too get right.” And after much consideration after the “experiment” was announced I realized that we were all duped by the league and this is nothing more than a lame attempt to increase preseason ratings.
The last and probably most significant of the major rules changes was the “Navarro Bowman Rule” which makes the recovery of a loose ball a reviewable play. This one actually makes sense- I mean it would be a good thing if the rules permitted the officials to make the right call (which tells me that they’ll change it soon).
Now for the rest of the rules changes…
The clock no longer will stop after a QB is sacked (once again, this rule is sure to change after Andrew Luck is sacked in the final two minutes of a playoff game that the Colts are actually close to winning but the clock ran out after a sack).
The goalposts will be extended by five feet to reduce the confusion of kicks going directly over the top of the post and leaving it up to the officials to decide if the kick was good or not. (Once again, seems fishy because it makes too much sense)
And lastly, (and some may say most importantly) dunking the ball over the goalpost after scoring a TD has been deemed offensive and now will result in a 15 yard penalty. I for one am glad that a.) the owners are showing the financial savvy required to protecting their new, taller goalpost by not letting those goons hang all over them. And b.) the league has finally gotten in front of an abhorrent practice that most certainly led some impressionable kids down a path to a life of crime.
There you have it. Our fearless leaders have most certainly made some decisions this year that are sure to affect our love of the game for decades to come.
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