NFL Owners Pass Four New Player Safety Rules

I guess I don't have a problem with the contact to the head/neck, but I think the ban of the "wedge block" in the return game is kind of dumb.

NFL owners pass four player safety rules for 2009 season (http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80f6c090&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true)

No wedge is stupid. What if more than 2 people come side-by-side towards the runner. Are wedges allowed then?

Yeah i agree with no hitting the head, but i don't get the 5 man onside side kick rule.

The comment in the link by rcod76 tells it all for me..

i wonder if they are going to do anything with the facemask penalty, getting rid of the 5 yarder seemed to make some 15 yarders much more suspect

The game is okay just the way it is. It's the officiating that messes everything up.

Wedge one is silly.. you're gonna probably find more full-speed contacts on kick returns due to that.. I can't see where the wedge blocking at a slower speed would hurt more people than someone blasting through straight at a returner

what's the rule on distance between them and other blockers? can you do a double 2 man wedge but slightly split apart?


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Such tackles will be a point of emphasis with officiating crews in 2009.


So will holding penalties, on which the variance of calls from crew to crew has been huge. Pereira's office is compiling a tape that will be shown to officials, coaching staffs and players.


"It's one area we need to find consistency from crew to crew," he said.


...
That's kind of good news, other than some of our line being a bit hold friendly, we def got the downside of uncalled holds in some games

All of the rules are stupid and detract from the real game of football, but the one that really has me scratching my head is not allowing more than five players bunched together for an onside kick. How are you supposed to recover it?

I've never seen any player get hurt on an onside kick in my life.



No wedge makes no sense but it can be worked around.

Now Tom Brady is officially a wuss. He has a "don't touch me" rule in his name.

I think the rule about hitting the head of a defenseless WR is going to have the biggest impact on the game. Just like now when a defender goes to block a pass and happens to hit the QB on the head they get a 15 yard penalty. I'm not talking about the hard hits to the head but more of the light accidental ones we see all the time that draw a 15 yard penalty. Now I think the same thing will happen as the defender goes to makes a play and happens to hit the WR on the head they will draw a 15 yard penalty and I can see allot of fans saying that a BS call that apart of football.

Just watched the Brady hit again...it still appears to me that a Patriots blocker actually pushed the KC defender into Brady.