When I become Supreme Ruler, these are the 1st things I will change: (1 Viewer)

[justinl]

I would change the "allowed intentional grounding" rule where the QB is allowed to spike the ball within 5 yards of the receiver while in the pocket. For example, when a screen play is sniffed out by the defense, the QB immediately spikes the ball and then points at the RB even though the RB has zero chance at catching the ball. In fact, the QB never even gives him the opportunity. That should be intentional grounding.

You can't call intentional grounding when a pass attempt is near an eligible receiver.

Define "near" when it's a screen pass and behind the LOS. Many times the QB is clearly spiking the ball where there is no chance for the RB to catch it. That will be intentional grounding when I am supreme ruler.

He's not spiking the ball. He's throwing it near the RB's feet.

It's no different from when the QB intentionally throws it high out of bounds over a covered receiver's head.

Try again!

then why is there intentional grounding as a rule in the first place or would you do away with this?

No, I don't think I'd be in favor of eliminating it completely. But I do think it should be reserved for the most egregious examples where there is no receiver even close to the pass. In the RB screen example, that's just smart football to throw it away, just as other passes are sometimes thrown away on purpose, with no intention to make a completion, but to avoid a sack.

As for other rules, I've never been a proponent of replay. Especially when you have guys like Walt Anderson, Walt Coleman and Jeff Triplet who think they see things that don't exist, or don't see things that are obvious to the rest of us.

i'm now of the belichek school... replay for EVERYTHING... even judgement calls... but with the clear understanding that there needs to be overwhelming video evidence to the contrary. The only replay limitation I favor is the stoppage of play on forward progress... the play ends when the whistle ends. But if you WANT to challenge other stuff.

The reason I would draw a distnction because kneel downs, spikes and throwing it away, is because they are relatively neutral. When you throw at the feet of a WR engaged in blocking, that is against the spirit of the rule and not rewarding the defense for their success breach of the Oline.

NFL needs to commit a 3 man team to every game. That means a max of 48 employees any given week. They should review every play of every game and correct as time permits. What I mean to say is that if there is a stoppage in play or if the ball isn't snapped, they should be able to call down and overrule a call. When refs huddle, they should be able to consult. This would not only improve the blown calls we see, it would keep the game moving. I am shocked how long challenges take, despite removing the head official from reviewing them.

The special rules for QBs is what gets me most. I'd like to see a highlight reel of every roughing the passer penalty called this season. I've seen more than a few weak calls this season.

You're going after the QB. You're telling me a defender has to watch the QBs eyes and the ball before he can go for the sack? That kind of play is bang, bang not much room for error. Especially when you consider the QB can pump fake you when you're barreling down on him.

You're flying at him full speed and have to determine whether or not he's pump faking?

The NFL would rather err on the side of caution b/c it'll become too subjective. Sure, someone could just brush the QB in the face, a la Stafford yesterday when he overreacted to being slapped. Defenders will tip toe on the blurred line, that's why you take that line out of the equation. Any contact with the helmet, or similar, and you toss the flag.

 

[pizzatyme]

I'd make EVERY major infraction challengable/reviewable!

I'd make every infraction that impacts a play of over 15 yards challengable.reviewable!

I'd implant microchips on both ends of the footballs to indicate of a ball crosses the plane of the goalline and/or on first downs.

Too many damn games are decided by the refs!

 

[pizzatyme]

Why can someone brush the face/facemask area and that be called hands to the face but a RB/WR can stiff arm a defender and manhandle their facemask area and get away with it?

 

[Warrior]

You've manage to compile a list of things I literally never find myself complaining about, congratulations.

Seriously though, you're missing the biggest issue--the stupid catch rules, especially in the endzone.

Good call. Possession and two feet equals a catch.

You also seem to be missing that some of these rules you don't like prevent shenanigans--the 10 second runoff, the end of game fumble rules, etc.

Totally overblown. There aren't that many shenanigans, and so what if there are? The stupid rules far outweigh the occasional shenanigan. And replay can be used to tell if a fumble is legit or the ball was intentionally batted or thrown forward.

And the other post reminds me. I'm thinking of taking away the automatic first downs on defensive penalties.

One second left in the game. Your team is on defense. Your LB blows past the tackle and is about to sack the QB. The tackle reaches out, grabs the LB by the collar and literally holds him by the neck until the QB can chuck the ball out of the back of the endzone.

Under your requested rule changes, they replay the down and the offense gets another shot at the end zone, this time backed up 10 yards.

Under the current rules, the game is over.

The current rules are MUCH better than your suggested change (no run-off).

 

[Warrior]

Why can someone brush the face/facemask area and that be called hands to the face but a RB/WR can stiff arm a defender and manhandle their facemask area and get away with it?

Because the result is completely different. A defensive facemaks twists the neck and whiplashes the RB to the ground, with a much higher chance of a traumatic spinal injury.

A stiff arm just pushes the defender to the turf.

Apples/oranges.

 

[pennystock]

No one would change the rules so we can't have a tie result during the regular season? The one O/T rule seems very silly to me.

 

[Hankmoody]

Also, I think it's funny that everyone keeps bringing up Arizona as a reason to protect the QB, when their starter went down on a non-contact injury. I don't have a problem protecting the QB to an extent, but it's beyond ridiculous now. And if you keep it the way it is, then you HAVE to allow replay in order to reverse so many bad calls.

We're bringing up Arizona because that guy is a horrible, horrible player. And he'd be exponentially more likely to be on the field with lesser QB protection available.

There are also fewer examples available to us of terrible backups playing because - imagine this - the rules are working to keep the starters healthy! Yay for those of us that like offense.

 

[Smack Tripper]

Is everyone happy with PI being a total spot foul? I prefer the NCAA rule where it is a spot foul with maximum of 15 and automatic first down. Keep the end zone infraction the same.

Defenders would be incentivized to maul receivers past 15 yards then.

Okay. Give up 15 yds every play

It is tough because if a DB just throws a WR down at any point beyond 15 yards then the penalty isn't just. The rule would need to be fine tuned.

The other side of the coin is how often is a DB beat so bad that it's clearly going to be a catch but not bad enough that he has time to recover and maul the WR enough to prevent an attempt at the catch.

maybe its a spot foul in the last 4 minutes of each half.... that could be fair... prevents teams killing rallies

 

[zed2283]

You've manage to compile a list of things I literally never find myself complaining about, congratulations.

Seriously though, you're missing the biggest issue--the stupid catch rules, especially in the endzone.

Good call. Possession and two feet equals a catch.

You also seem to be missing that some of these rules you don't like prevent shenanigans--the 10 second runoff, the end of game fumble rules, etc.

Totally overblown. There aren't that many shenanigans, and so what if there are? The stupid rules far outweigh the occasional shenanigan. And replay can be used to tell if a fumble is legit or the ball was intentionally batted or thrown forward.

And the other post reminds me. I'm thinking of taking away the automatic first downs on defensive penalties.

One second left in the game. Your team is on defense. Your LB blows past the tackle and is about to sack the QB. The tackle reaches out, grabs the LB by the collar and literally holds him by the neck until the QB can chuck the ball out of the back of the endzone.

Under your requested rule changes, they replay the down and the offense gets another shot at the end zone, this time backed up 10 yards.

Under the current rules, the game is over.

The current rules are MUCH better than your suggested change (no run-off).

Penalty declined, game over.

Plus, time has run out. The game CAN end on an offensive penalty.

 

[DropKick]

You've manage to compile a list of things I literally never find myself complaining about, congratulations.

Seriously though, you're missing the biggest issue--the stupid catch rules, especially in the endzone.

Good call. Possession and two feet equals a catch.

You also seem to be missing that some of these rules you don't like prevent shenanigans--the 10 second runoff, the end of game fumble rules, etc.

Totally overblown. There aren't that many shenanigans, and so what if there are? The stupid rules far outweigh the occasional shenanigan. And replay can be used to tell if a fumble is legit or the ball was intentionally batted or thrown forward.

And the other post reminds me. I'm thinking of taking away the automatic first downs on defensive penalties.

That settles it for me... I'll vote for someone else to be Supreme Ruler.

 

[ghostguy123]

I could live with zero changes except one:

They really REALLY have to revise their "roughing the passer" definition. When a guy gently pats the QB's head after trying to block the pass, it can not be a penalty. There are guys are slapping each other on the head 10x harder after making a nice play. Worst rule in sports history.

 

[justinl]

I could live with zero changes except one:

They really REALLY have to revise their "roughing the passer" definition. When a guy gently pats the QB's head after trying to block the pass, it can not be a penalty. There are guys are slapping each other on the head 10x harder after making a nice play. Worst rule in sports history.

I don't see how they can consistently regulate this. Also, a defender can appear to swat at the ball but maliciously attack the QB. It's easier to take opinion (intentional/unintentional) out of it. Therefore, all strikes to the head are flagged.

 

[ghostguy123]

I could live with zero changes except one:

They really REALLY have to revise their "roughing the passer" definition. When a guy gently pats the QB's head after trying to block the pass, it can not be a penalty. There are guys are slapping each other on the head 10x harder after making a nice play. Worst rule in sports history.

I don't see how they can consistently regulate this. Also, a defender can appear to swat at the ball but maliciously attack the QB. It's easier to take opinion (intentional/unintentional) out of it. Therefore, all strikes to the head are flagged.

Seriously?? You can't tell the difference between a hit and a pat?

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Is everyone happy with PI being a total spot foul? I prefer the NCAA rule where it is a spot foul with maximum of 15 and automatic first down. Keep the end zone infraction the same.

Defenders would be incentivized to maul receivers past 15 yards then.

Okay. Give up 15 yds every play

It is tough because if a DB just throws a WR down at any point beyond 15 yards then the penalty isn't just. The rule would need to be fine tuned.

The other side of the coin is how often is a DB beat so bad that it's clearly going to be a catch but not bad enough that he has time to recover and maul the WR enough to prevent an attempt at the catch.

maybe its a spot foul in the last 4 minutes of each half.... that could be fair... prevents teams killing rallies

I like this

 

[cheese]

Fumble going through end zone giving the defense a touchback makes no sense. The ball rolling out of bounds anywhere else does not change possession nor get the ball moved 20 yards of field position. This somehow does both. Either offense moves back to 20 or defense gets ball at the 1.

I would kill replay, but I know that's unpopular. Wifi in stadiums that sucks less

 

[ZWK]

Rookies get paid more (close to what they'd get on the free agent market).

Every call is reviewable, with the presumption that the original call stands unless there is indisputable visual evidence. Reviews are done by a separate crew that is not on the field, which is trained for speed, accuracy, and deference to the original call.

Narrower goalposts.

Larger rosters, larger active rosters on gameday, and larger practice squads.

No overtime in the regular season - a tie at the end of regulation is just a tie. In the playoffs, overtime is a full 15 minute period with the home team receiving the opening kickoff. (If that period ends in a tie, then they play an untimed sudden death period with the visiting team receiving the kickoff.)

Pass interference is capped at half the distance to the goal. (e.g., DPI a bomb from the 50 to the 10 yard line would be penalized 25 yards instead of 40.)

Enforce offensive pass interference and ineligible man downfield.

Offensive penalties that are half the distance to the goal still add the full yardage to what's needed for a first down. (e.g., False start on 1st & 10 from your own 4 makes it 1st & 15 from your own 2 - now you need to reach the 17 yard line instead of the 14.)

Heavy fines for a team if one of their players plays a snap after he gets a concussion.

People become eligible for the NFL draft if they will turn 20 by August 31 of that year, or if they will be 19 and are at least 2 years out of high school.

Late hit out of bounds is only a penalty if the defender had a chance to stop after the runner set foot out of bounds (just as late hit on a passer is only called if the defender had a chance to stop after the QB released the ball).

 

[ghostguy123]

Larger rosters, larger active rosters on gameday, and larger practice squads.

This just makes way too much sense, especially the gameday roster size. Zero rationale for such a small active number of players on gameday. At the very least if a guy is knocked out of the game you can "bring up" another with the assumption that the original guy who got hurt can not come back into the game.

 

[Mello]

Have fun watching Brock Osweiler vs. Chase Daniel on a regular basis.

Terrible list.

Strange. I watched plenty of NFL before these rules and we had great QBs.

 

[pizzatyme]

Why can someone brush the face/facemask area and that be called hands to the face but a RB/WR can stiff arm a defender and manhandle their facemask area and get away with it?

Because the result is completely different. A defensive facemaks twists the neck and whiplashes the RB to the ground, with a much higher chance of a traumatic spinal injury.

A stiff arm just pushes the defender to the turf.

Apples/oranges.

Did you read my post? What I said and how you interpreted it are apples and oranges.

 

[zed2283]

Have fun watching Brock Osweiler vs. Chase Daniel on a regular basis.

Terrible list.

Strange. I watched plenty of NFL before these rules and we had great QBs.

 

[zed2283]

You've manage to compile a list of things I literally never find myself complaining about, congratulations.

Seriously though, you're missing the biggest issue--the stupid catch rules, especially in the endzone.

Good call. Possession and two feet equals a catch.

You also seem to be missing that some of these rules you don't like prevent shenanigans--the 10 second runoff, the end of game fumble rules, etc.

Totally overblown. There aren't that many shenanigans, and so what if there are? The stupid rules far outweigh the occasional shenanigan. And replay can be used to tell if a fumble is legit or the ball was intentionally batted or thrown forward.

And the other post reminds me. I'm thinking of taking away the automatic first downs on defensive penalties.

That settles it for me... I'll vote for someone else to be Supreme Ruler.

Why? I hate it when it's 3rd and 20 and there's some stupid defensive holding call that results in 5 yards and a 1st down. Why should defensive penalties come with automatic 1st downs?

 

[Skoo]

Define "near" when it's a screen pass and behind the LOS. Many times the QB is clearly spiking the ball where there is no chance for the RB to catch it. That will be intentional grounding when I am supreme ruler.

This. Eli does this a lot, I noticed a few times this past weekend.

If a QB clearly throws the ball straight at the ground, it's intentional grounding.

BRING BACK THE TOUCHDOWN CELEBRATIONS!!!!

**me yelling from the mountain tops

And this.

Football is supposed to be a form of entertainment. People are entertained by touchdown celebrations.

I can see putting some kind of parameters in like no props, but it's so awkward to watch a guy celebrate while his teammates wait patiently to give him the chest-bump or whatever.

 

[treat88]

Worst rule in the game is the continued legality of cut blocking on the OL.

Catch, roughing, and interference rules all suck in their current iteration, but the cut blocking is the one I would choose to change.

 

[wlwiles]

only one TV timeout allowed after a td/fg. TD is scored, PAT kicked, commercial timeout, then kickoff and lets go. Coming back from 4 minutes of commercials to watch the ball sail through the back of the end zone, then back to 4 minutes of commercials is asinine. Kick off, set the play clock, and lets go

 

[FreeBaGeL]

No 10-second run off: I hate these goofy clock rules that only apply at certain times of the game and only if your team is losing. Any conditional rule is stupid. No 10-second runoffs. Ever.

You really, really have not thought this through.

 

[imjackdupp]

only one TV timeout allowed after a td/fg. TD is scored, PAT kicked, commercial timeout, then kickoff and lets go. Coming back from 4 minutes of commercials to watch the ball sail through the back of the end zone, then back to 4 minutes of commercials is asinine. Kick off, set the play clock, and lets go

Best one yet and to quote Jessie Ventura " no fair catches".

 

[zed2283]

No 10-second run off: I hate these goofy clock rules that only apply at certain times of the game and only if your team is losing. Any conditional rule is stupid. No 10-second runoffs. Ever.

You really, really have not thought this through.

Yes, I really have. This is a newer rule, it was not needed for 80 years.

So what if a defensive lineman jumps offsides to stop the clock? So what? The offense gets 5 yards just like any other time in the game. I suppose all you guys think there should be a 10-second runoff for fouls committed at the end of basketball games as well.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

No 10-second run off: I hate these goofy clock rules that only apply at certain times of the game and only if your team is losing. Any conditional rule is stupid. No 10-second runoffs. Ever.

You really, really have not thought this through.

Yes, I really have. This is a newer rule, it was not needed for 80 years.

So what if a defensive lineman jumps offsides to stop the clock? So what? The offense gets 5 yards just like any other time in the game. I suppose all you guys think there should be a 10-second runoff for fouls committed at the end of basketball games as well.

There's 15 seconds left and you're down by 1. You have no timeouts. You complete a 40 yard pass down to the opposing team's 10 yard line. The WR who caught the pass and another WR line up real quick as the center and QB and spike the ball to stop the clock (the entire rest of the offense is still 40 yards upfield). They take the 5 yard illegal formation penalty and kick the game winning field goal, even though they never would have been able to stop the clock properly.

More simply, the QB and center could do the same thing at any point without having to wait for the rest of the offense to line up. Or the line could lineup without the QB and commit a false start. Or the offense could commit an illegal substitution penalty, or a sideline infraction, or any number of other penalties that stop the clock instantly in exchange for 5 yards.

It didn't used to be a rule because coaches were notoriously uncreative and unwilling to use holes in the rules. That has changed in recent times with things like Wisconsin intentionally going offsides on the kickoff to run time and, more aptly, Ohio State using one of the scenarios above to win a game when there was no 10 second runoff in college football (it was added soon after that game).

Additionally you have intentional grounding, which should penalize a team against the clock at the end of a game as a sack would.

ETA: Even simpler, the WR catching the pass simply spikes the ball or throws it into the stands, which results in an instant delay of game penalty and stops the clock. That essentially gives the offense unlimited timeouts at the end of the game.

 

[pizzatyme]

That doesn't work as the line judge must spot the ball and then he stands over the ball until the chains move.

The easier infraction is for one of the players to punch the referee in the throat after the completion. Stops the clock, 15 yard penalty, but if your pass went to the 10 YL then it makes it an easy 42 yarder after the penalty is assessed!

 

[Jack White]

No one would change the rules so we can't have a tie result during the regular season? The one O/T rule seems very silly to me.

Nothing wrong with a tie in the regular season.

Not to mention there are only about 4-5 ties per decade, if that.

 

[Jack White]

You've manage to compile a list of things I literally never find myself complaining about, congratulations.

Seriously though, you're missing the biggest issue--the stupid catch rules, especially in the endzone.

Good call. Possession and two feet equals a catch.

You also seem to be missing that some of these rules you don't like prevent shenanigans--the 10 second runoff, the end of game fumble rules, etc.

Totally overblown. There aren't that many shenanigans, and so what if there are? The stupid rules far outweigh the occasional shenanigan. And replay can be used to tell if a fumble is legit or the ball was intentionally batted or thrown forward.

And the other post reminds me. I'm thinking of taking away the automatic first downs on defensive penalties.

That settles it for me... I'll vote for someone else to be Supreme Ruler.

Why? I hate it when it's 3rd and 20 and there's some stupid defensive holding call that results in 5 yards and a 1st down. Why should defensive penalties come with automatic 1st downs?

Because offense is what drives interest in the game.

Without automatic first downs, defenders would constantly try to get away with holding and illegal contact on every third-and-long.

Here's a tip for defenders: if it's 3rd and 20, don't hold. Just play solid defense and prevent the first down.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

That doesn't work as the line judge must spot the ball and then he stands over the ball until the chains move.

The easier infraction is for one of the players to punch the referee in the throat after the completion. Stops the clock, 15 yard penalty, but if your pass went to the 10 YL then it makes it an easy 42 yarder after the penalty is assessed!

And if you snap it anyway while he's standing over it what happens? Clocks stops, penalty enforced.

Or as I mentioned in the edit, the easiest/quickest way is just to spike the ball or throw it into the stands after you're tackled. 5 yard delay of game penalty, and basically 0 seconds run off after the prior play.

 

[ragnarok628]

No 10-second run off: I hate these goofy clock rules that only apply at certain times of the game and only if your team is losing. Any conditional rule is stupid. No 10-second runoffs. Ever.

You really, really have not thought this through.

Yes, I really have. This is a newer rule, it was not needed for 80 years.

So what if a defensive lineman jumps offsides to stop the clock? So what? The offense gets 5 yards just like any other time in the game. I suppose all you guys think there should be a 10-second runoff for fouls committed at the end of basketball games as well.

There's 15 seconds left and you're down by 1. You have no timeouts. You complete a 40 yard pass down to the opposing team's 10 yard line. The WR who caught the pass and another WR line up real quick as the center and QB and spike the ball to stop the clock (the entire rest of the offense is still 40 yards upfield). They take the 5 yard illegal formation penalty and kick the game winning field goal, even though they never would have been able to stop the clock properly.

More simply, the QB and center could do the same thing at any point without having to wait for the rest of the offense to line up. Or the line could lineup without the QB and commit a false start. Or the offense could commit an illegal substitution penalty, or a sideline infraction, or any number of other penalties that stop the clock instantly in exchange for 5 yards.

It didn't used to be a rule because coaches were notoriously uncreative and unwilling to use holes in the rules. That has changed in recent times with things like Wisconsin intentionally going offsides on the kickoff to run time and, more aptly, Ohio State using one of the scenarios above to win a game when there was no 10 second runoff in college football (it was added soon after that game).

Additionally you have intentional grounding, which should penalize a team against the clock at the end of a game as a sack would.

ETA: Even simpler, the WR catching the pass simply spikes the ball or throws it into the stands, which results in an instant delay of game penalty and stops the clock. That essentially gives the offense unlimited timeouts at the end of the game.

If you want to get SUPER simple you can just change the way the clock works. stop time after every play. I understand that there are 'reasons' to stop the clock after an incomplete pass or out of bounds, but there is no particular reason the clock needs to keep running after a normal down. And if the clock is always stopped when play stops (gasp) then you don't have to worry about penalty shenanigans to mess with the clock; after all, when your fictional play ended there was time on the clock... why shouldn't the offense get another play? I thought we liked offense and points and scoring. what's more anti-climactic, anti-offense, than making a big play to get in scoring range but not being able to score because your fat linemen can't sprint up to the LOS in under 5 seconds? Side bonus, now you can use your timeouts when they're strategically necessary instead of 'clock management'. why should we have to manage a clock? It should run during play and stop during not-play. I can't think of any reason other than 'it has always been thus'

 

[ConnSKINS26]

I think the whole 2-minute drill game situation is such an integral and exciting part of the game that it's not feasible to have the clock stop after every play.

Plus, games would take about 5 hours.

I agree that logically it doesn't really make sense and it's just something we've come to think of as "normal", but there's no going back on that now.

 

[zed2283]

Or even when everyone can sprint up to the line, except your FB who just had his knee shredded and can't get up (or walk). Too bad, no timeouts so your injured player costs you a 10-second runoff, game over. So dumb.

 

[Tanner9919]

Move the umpire from behind the linebackers to the sideline..enough already with the Bill Walsh style cheating using the ump as a pick to get separation from a defender on a crossing route..a ref should never be in the field of play, ever..

Call the bubble-screen pick penalty more often.you could call it on nearly every Patriots passing play, they make more illegal picks than anyone.

 

[Ghost Rider]

You also seem to be missing that some of these rules you don't like prevent shenanigans--the 10 second runoff, the end of game fumble rules, etc.

The 10-second runoff, for example, prevents an offense that has no timeouts from faking injuries to stop the clock. Rules like that have to be in place.

 

[ragnarok628]

I think the whole 2-minute drill game situation is such an integral and exciting part of the game that it's not feasible to have the clock stop after every play.

Plus, games would take about 5 hours.

I agree that logically it doesn't really make sense and it's just something we've come to think of as "normal", but there's no going back on that now.

I think whenever the clock is inside two minutes (and the game is close) it's going to be exciting, whether you're forced into hurry up mode or not. probably better offense too, since you can take your full play clock if you need it to get the best play for the job. probably the biggest actual consequence to stopping time after every play would be that you can't run the clock out by taking a knee. I think i'm OK with that. I'm not sure yet what strategy would replace the kneeldown. If you're up by only a score with less than a minute left, you'd have to keep trying to score i guess, or at least advance the ball... i don't really see the downside to that. if you're up by multiple scores i guess you could just call max protect and stall before throwing the ball away to burn the last of the clock? i dunno.

As i said before, you might have to recalibrate for timing. shorten the game time so that a comparable number of snaps would be able to take place as would generally happen now. if that means 10 minute quarters, or even 7 minute quarters, so be it. This would take away one of the advantages of a hurry up offense because you wouldn't be able to get off more plays than someone playing a normal offense. pretty sure i'm OK with that, too.

I agree of course that the current system is too entrenched and it would take too many big changes that would have to happen all at once, so you're right that it'll never happen.

until I become supreme ruler.

 

[zed2283]

I'm also going to make it an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when some idiot starts ripping and dragging people off the pile on a loose ball. I freaking hate that.

 

[zed2283]

And definitely cleaning up the catch rules.