NFL Rules you believe need to be changed. Now.

[Malapropismic Depository]

Felt like this topic was needed for a long time.

I couldn't wait any longer.

I'd like to know how the rest of you feel.

Which rules, or even "lack of a rule", do you feel are just screaming for a change ?

I will submit one, for now. And open that for discussion. Then feel free to add your own.

 

So, if a team has a ball on their own HALF yard line, or anywhere inside their own 1 yardline, and the offense commits a penalty, how about instead of going "half the distance to the goal", which really just amounts to inches, you rather give them a loss of down ?

Half the distance is hardly a penalty, and it in fact encourages sloppy play in those situations.

On the other hand, loss of a down, is a better motivator to do it right.

[GhostofSparta]

Offensive and defensive penalties need to be far more equal. If any defensive penalty gives an automatic 1st, then the offensive equivalent should be a loss of down. Defensive holding on 3rd and 27 gives a 1st? Well now offensive holding on 3rd and 1 makes it 4th down. Defender tackling a receiver before the ball gets there to prevent a TD is an automatic 1st? Then a receiver tackling a defender to prevent an INT is a loss of down.

 

I know the whole point of the league is to increase offensive stats and scoring, but outside of Intentional Grounding or penalties in the endzone, the penalties are way too blatantly favored toward one side of the ball.

Edited October 27, 2021 by GhostofSparta

[Ball Security]

Something’s gotta give when the punt returner muffs a punt and kicks it into the endzone and it’s a touch back like what happened in the 49ers/Colts game.

[abdcskins]

^ Yeah that seemed pretty dumb when I watched it live. That needs to be a safety. 

 

I don't think I need to say this - most people agree and talk about it every week - but some of the unecessary roughness calls are absolute horse**** and need to be reviewable at the very least. Even if a defender happens to hit the QB somewhere in the helmet I don't think that should automatically qualify as a penalty. Dudes brush the facemask with their pinky and it is unecessary roughness. It's a joke.

[Warhead36]

No more automatic first downs on defensive penalties. Its absurd that a ticky tack 5 yard ilegal contact can give a team an automatic 1st even if its like 3rd and 30. Unsportsmanlike conducts can still give automatic 1sts though.

 

No more random QB hit penalties. Its fine to penalize super late hits that are clearly dirty but a defender shouldn't be penalized 15 yards because he was a milisecond late if he has no dirty intention. These guys are moving 100 miles an hour, you're asking them to disregard the laws of physics and stop moving AND also only hit the QB in a very narrow window.

 

Offensive holding should be 5 yards. 10 is too much for the most subjective call in the game.

 

Pass interference shouldn't be a spot foul. Its WAY too punitive for what is often ticky tack and/or negligible contact. It should be like in soccer where they only award Penalty Kicks when its REALLY obvious and REALLY impactful, otherwise let them play. Maybe bring back where PI had two variants: a 10 yarder for incidental and spot foul for really bad ones.

 

Get rid of offsides. As soon as a defender jumps, call the encroachment and the 5 yard penalty and move on. Giving the offense a free play is dumb when the game is so heavily tilted in the offense's favor already.

[TheGreatBuzz]

Move extra point back to its old location and make the person that scored the touchdown kick the extra point.

 

[CobraCommander]

New Rule, stop changing the rules every year. Nobody can keep up with all the changes. The only rule change I can recall being onboard with in the last ten years is the force-out rule. Maybe there are more but I don't care to remember them. 

[Malapropismic Depository]

On 10/27/2021 at 7:55 PM, Florgon79 said:

New Rule, stop changing the rules every year.

 

I agree and disagree.

But it's according to category.

There's 2 categories of rule changes.

One, is the rule changes where they correct an evident flaw.

The second one, is where they change rules to try and manipulate the game, to make it more marketable, or in their eyes, more exciting, etc.

Those are the unnecessary ones. And one of the main problems with that, is that it makes individual players' statistical records more meaningless,

as for example, players can more easily break records that have long been held, that they otherwise could not have broken them if there was no rule change to favor that statistic.

 

[Renegade7]

Allow blitzing in the pro bowl 

[BleedBNG]

A play where there is no rule

 

 

 

[mbws]

If a QB is running for the end zone, and there is no one near him, he should be able to fall forward at the goal line, and not be called down because his knee happens to tap the ground on the way in. 

[Malapropismic Depository]

7 hours ago, mbws said:

If a QB is running for the end zone, and there is no one near him, he should be able to fall forward at the goal line, and not be called down because his knee happens to tap the ground on the way in. 

 

Another one that occurred to me the last game - we had a FG blocked, and one of our players recovered it far ahead of the line of scrimmage, with nothing but green grass between him and the end zone. But he just downed the ball, as if he wasn't allowed to advance it.

So, if the other team recovers a blocked FG, they can advance it all the way for a TD, but if a team recovers their own blocked FG, they can't advance it ?

Doesn't seem right.

[EmirOfShmo]

For the love of all things that are Dexter Manley: Define 'Offensive Holding' in clear ****ing terms. The 'Grab the DL In A Bear Hug And Release After XX Count With No Penalty' ****ing blows. It has ruined the game for me. 

[Fergasun]

"If you are advancing the ball into the end zone and fumble, and the ball goes out of play its a touchback."  This rule sucks and makes no sense.  If the defense doesn't recover it, give it back where the offense lost it.

 

"Forcible contact on a defenseless player" needs to be reviewable and the offensive player ramming rhe defender should be penalized (this penalty won the Jets a game). 

 

Bring back, "no pass interference on an uncatchable ball".  It's probably still in the rules, but I never see it called.  

 

New suggestion: "for penalties enforced againat the offense at half the distance, the line to gain is extended by the yardage that could not be penalized".  10 yard holding from the offenses own 10 yard line becomes 2nd and 20 at the 5, not 2nd and 15.

 

The NFL equivalent of "goal line technology". 

 

Allow "clear and obvious" subjective penalties to be reviewable.  Give coaches some leeway to challenge.

 

Onside kicks can be recovered after 7.5 yards (this will need a new yard marker) since the kicking team doesn't get a running start anymore. 

 

Instead of an onside kick, the kicking team could convert an untimed down play for 20 yards (no points for TDs).

[China]

Offensive players need to stop being able to get away with illegal hands to the face.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen an offensive player give a stiff arm to the face of a defender and there's no call.  If a defensive player does that it's a face mask penalty.  If the defensive player does it on the o-line it's illegal hands to the face.  The call should be that if they grab the face mask it's a face mask penalty.  If they push the face mask, but don't grab then it's illegal hands to the face, and it should apply equally to both offense and defense.  

[Warhead36]

Underthrown passes should not result in Pass Interference

[Malapropismic Depository]

1 hour ago, Warhead36 said:

Underthrown passes should not result in Pass Interference

 

Wouldn't that fall under "un-catchable" balls that by rule, are not DPI ?

[Malapropismic Depository]

Shouldn't be able to return a blocked Extra Point for a score.

Whose idea was that ?

[Fergasun]

On 11/28/2021 at 6:42 PM, Malapropismic Depository said:

 

Wouldn't that fall under "un-catchable" balls that by rule, are not DPI ?

The zebras have a much different definition of catchable and uncatchable than I do.  It's annoying, they should just remove that distinction from the rulebook. 

 

Looking at the Curl PI from tonights game.  Sure, he didn't defend the pass but the ball was nowhere near catchable.  

[NickyJ]

3 hours ago, Malapropismic Depository said:

Shouldn't be able to return a blocked Extra Point for a score.

Whose idea was that ?

Why not? If a dude is able to take the ball 100 yards out of a field goal formation, is it really too much to ask to give him a single point for his trouble?

[Malapropismic Depository]

51 minutes ago, NickyJ said:

Why not? If a dude is able to take the ball 100 yards out of a field goal formation, is it really too much to ask to give him a single point for his trouble?

 

 

Actually they give them 2 points if they score on a 1 point conversion.

We did fine without that rule, for about 100 years until it went in effect only 5 years ago.

[hail2skins]

Made no sense that the Seahawks got a second chance on the onside kick after committing the penalty.

[No Nonsense]

That fumbling the ball through the end zone resulting in a touchback. Worst rule in football. 

[CousinsCowgirl84]

On 10/26/2021 at 11:04 AM, Malapropismic Depository said:

Felt like this topic was needed for a long time.

I couldn't wait any longer.

I'd like to know how the rest of you feel.

Which rules, or even "lack of a rule", do you feel are just screaming for a change ?

I will submit one, for now. And open that for discussion. Then feel free to add your own.

 

So, if a team has a ball on their own HALF yard line, or anywhere inside their own 1 yardline, and the offense commits a penalty, how about instead of going "half the distance to the goal", which really just amounts to inches, you rather give them a loss of down ?

Half the distance is hardly a penalty, and it in fact encourages sloppy play in those situations.

On the other hand, loss of a down, is a better motivator to do it right.

I don’t think a false start or formation foul should be a loss of down penalty. Offensive pass interference something like that maybe…

On 11/30/2021 at 10:54 AM, No Nonsense said:

That fumbling the ball through the end zone resulting in a touchback. Worst rule in football. 

This is a popular one but I disagree with getting rid of this rule. Hold on to the a ball when you get this close.

[CobraCommander]

On 11/30/2021 at 10:54 AM, No Nonsense said:

That fumbling the ball through the end zone resulting in a touchback. Worst rule in football. 

Is that if the ball then goes out of bounds? What should it be? You can't place it on the one yard line, the ball would've had to be fumbled out of bounds at the 1 for that to make sense. If the defense recovers it in the endzone and gives themselves up or are tackled in the endzone it's a touchback, right? If it's recovered by the offense it's 6 points. So it stands to reason the only right call is a touchback and change of possession. What other outcome should be true?