this is a game changer and could potentially be something to keep in mind for more unders betting early in the season
https://deadspin.com/how-the-nfls-new-helmet-rule-could-change-football-as-w-1826535363
not sure the NFL has really thought this one through because every QB sneak is nothing more than a guy leading with his helmet. and now discussion on eliminating the 3-point stance which invariably leads to firing out helmet-first....wow
anyway, a few excerpts:
The NFL’s rule now reads, with remarkable simplicity, “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent.”
Jim Daopoulos, a former NFL official who also spent 12 years supervising the officials, has no idea how the officials are even expected to enforce the rule. “It’s going to be a tough situation for them to police,” Daopoulos told me.
Dean Blandino, another former head of officiating now working as a Fox Sports rules analyst, agreed. “The challenge with this rule, just like the crown-of-the-helmet rule that went in in 2013, is how can the official at full-speed officiate that consistently? They haven’t really touched on the linemen yet, at least in the videos; I think they’re still trying to figure that out, and I think that’s going to be tough to do, with all the contact that happens in close line play.”
https://deadspin.com/how-the-nfls-new-helmet-rule-could-change-football-as-w-1826535363
not sure the NFL has really thought this one through because every QB sneak is nothing more than a guy leading with his helmet. and now discussion on eliminating the 3-point stance which invariably leads to firing out helmet-first....wow
anyway, a few excerpts:
The NFL’s rule now reads, with remarkable simplicity, “It is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent.”
Jim Daopoulos, a former NFL official who also spent 12 years supervising the officials, has no idea how the officials are even expected to enforce the rule. “It’s going to be a tough situation for them to police,” Daopoulos told me.
Dean Blandino, another former head of officiating now working as a Fox Sports rules analyst, agreed. “The challenge with this rule, just like the crown-of-the-helmet rule that went in in 2013, is how can the official at full-speed officiate that consistently? They haven’t really touched on the linemen yet, at least in the videos; I think they’re still trying to figure that out, and I think that’s going to be tough to do, with all the contact that happens in close line play.”
