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NFL Bans Lowering Head to Initiate Contact

redseat

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The only bad thing about this rule is for 10 year vets who's been playing football this way for 20+ years, this is a huge adjustment

and also - isn't "lowering" the head a judgement call? How can they truly make it "universal" for every official?
 

PatsFan2003

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Take away helmets, no one will lower their head.

I think that's extreme but it's not a bad point. When we were kids playing football the best way to tackle had nothing to do with ramming into someone with your head. Players seemed to have forgotten that.
 

rmilia1

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Not to point out the obvious ( may be it's already been mentioned) but how are you supposed to tackle someone from the waist down?? If your head has to be up you pretty much can't hit anyone below about mid chest.
 

NCChiFan

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So you are or are not suppose to dive at a player?
 

UK Cowboy

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The biggest problem is, either the games will now be 5 hours long because there is a penalty or replay on every other play, or outrage because they call it on some plays but not on others. In 20 years, the NFL will be a 7 on 7 league
 

Ricky Roma

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Guards pulling on trap blocks? RB's taking on bigger LB's? QB sneaks? The NFL rushed through a law without any specifics detailing those aspects of the game where leading with your head is commonplace.
 

Rex Racer

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Not to point out the obvious ( may be it's already been mentioned) but how are you supposed to tackle someone from the waist down?? If your head has to be up you pretty much can't hit anyone below about mid chest.

You lead with your shoulder.
 

YankeeRebel

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It seems obvious to me they are talking about targeting here, I think the league realizes the head being lowered is a natural act but it's fairly easy to discern if the helmet is being used as a weapon. I think the best example of this is RBs, they do this crap all the time. I have to wonder if the stiff arm is next, if a D Linemen get a hands to the face call in the act of shedding a block how a RB does not get the same call for a stiff arm baffles me.
 

jarntt

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Not really going out on a limb here, but I suspect a shitload of missed penalties both ways and non-stop talk about this in pretty much every game. Every time there is a big hit the flag is coming out and half the time it won't be helmet to helmet or at least lowering of the head. Football just happens too fast in real life...the whining on here about refs is going to ramp up even more...as if it wasn't annoying enough already...
 

ATL96Steeler

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They've tried this in the past without much success.

Although I do think this is inevitable and not as big a deal as people think it is.

It largely depends on how the refs call it...I can't see them eliminating H to H contact, but if you lead with the helmet as a defender, they are going to call it now.

The ball carrier lowering his head to brace for the blow...that's going to be the tougher call...if they are making that call against the runner I'm not sure how they will be able to complete games within the network time window....that's instinctive.
 

ATL96Steeler

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The biggest problem is, either the games will now be 5 hours long because there is a penalty or replay on every other play, or outrage because they call it on some plays but not on others. In 20 years, the NFL will be a 7 on 7 league

Nada...they can't piss off the cash cow...the games will have to fit in the TV window regardless.
 

rmilia1

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It will be on the side if you're doing it right
Yeah bit this isn't about leading with your head though ( at least from how its written), it's about lowering it. So even if you try to leas with your shoulder there's going to be a ton of times you make contact with your head and it's almost physically impossible to keep your head back on hits like that. Maybe they'll be discerning with the call? But the league doesn't usually promote judgement calls . I guess we will see
 

flyerhawk

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It largely depends on how the refs call it...I can't see them eliminating H to H contact, but if you lead with the helmet as a defender, they are going to call it now.

The ball carrier lowering his head to brace for the blow...that's going to be the tougher call...if they are making that call against the runner I'm not sure how they will be able to complete games within the network time window....that's instinctive.

If the players weren't wearing helmets, I'm not sure how instinctive lowering your head would be.
 
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