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NFL rules that need to change. (1 Viewer)

msudaisy26

Footballguy
So after this last game and waiting 10 minutes for a kneel down on a worthless extra point it got me wondering what other rules they should change.

I would like to see holding penalty calls put down to 5 yards or just picked up on kick off or punt returns if it is a touchback or a fair catch. It obvious had no bearing on the play, throw the flag still then make the correct call.

My other rule change would be to get rid of the automatic 1st downs for everything except personal fouls.

 
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Teams will hang on WRs and take the 15 yard penalty rather than allow the big play and it will happen all the time.  That isn't good for the excitement of the game.
:shrug: better then watching some BS PI cost a team 40 yards.

 
What they really need to do is truly enforce the rule below. There is holding going on ON EVERY PLAY by the DBs. Seriously, according to the rules you cannot grab them after 5 yards. They grab all they way thru the route.

ARTICLE 3. ILLEGAL CONTACT BEYOND FIVE-YARD ZONE

Beyond the five-yard zone, if the player who receives the snap remains in the pocket with the ball, a defender cannot initiate contact with a receiver who is attempting to evade him. A defender may use his hands or arms only to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver

If this rule was followed to the letter, every play would be a penalty vs the defense.

 
You just watched a game that demonstrates why you do not want to change the PI penalty.  The NO DB would have just hammered Diggs since it was a pass that was going to be close to being caught.  So Minn would get 15 yards and less than 10 secs left to try to score.

I have thought a new increment for the really long PI might be better but would be pretty radical.  PI penalty would be maxed out at 15 yds, but anything over 30 yds would be half the distance of the infraction.  A 50 yd PI would be a 25 yd penalty, etc.  I have not fulled fleshed this out completely, but it would help prevent the DB just tackling the WR when they are beaten if you just make it a 15 yd penalty.

 
You just watched a game that demonstrates why you do not want to change the PI penalty.  The NO DB would have just hammered Diggs since it was a pass that was going to be close to being caught.  So Minn would get 15 yards and less than 10 secs left to try to score.

I have thought a new increment for the really long PI might be better but would be pretty radical.  PI penalty would be maxed out at 15 yds, but anything over 30 yds would be half the distance of the infraction.  A 50 yd PI would be a 25 yd penalty, etc.  I have not fulled fleshed this out completely, but it would help prevent the DB just tackling the WR when they are beaten if you just make it a 15 yd penalty.
I kind of like this, or maybe inside of 2 minutes of each half it is a spot foul?

 
Something has to change with PI. To many games on the line on a live judgement call, starting to feel NBA'ish.

When these calls are so huge, which most PI calls are, we got to have replay. As much as I hate more replay's we need it, coaches need to be able to challenge 1-2 PI calls a game and critiera needs to NOT be you have to have indisputable evidence but these plays are to big, as big as turnovers many times, to not allow for replay.

 
I am fine with the PI rules.  NFL officials simply need to get better at calling PI, both ways.

I agree about the XP. That is stupid to make a team kick the XP at the end of the game like that when it doesn't have any impact on the outcome.  Yeah, let's mute the celebration of a great play by making everyone get out of the way so they can kick or kneel down on the XP.  Stupid. 

 
switch to college rules. clock stops on all first downs.. one foot in bounds for a reception. a catch is a catch if held , it doesn't matter if the balls shifts from hand to hand.

James' catch vs. Patriots a few weeks ago was a catch cmon now.. stop the nonsense.

stop the ref  reviews... the one they had in the Miami game in London was absolutely the worst ,ever.

if there's a hold on the Vikings sideline and the pass is caught on the saints sideline, why are you calling a penalty on something that happened 50 yards away from the ball ?!?! it has no bearing on the play whatsoever .

stop the ice the kicker timeout..

get rid of the 2-minute warning ..

if the pylon sits out of bounds at the endzone how is touching it considered inbounds and  a TD?!  so you can backhand the pylon from OOB and sideswipe it and it's still a TD?! nonsense..the ball MUST cross the goal-line

how about tossing the fans a bone - after a referee review, you CANNOT call a timeout unless/until  there is  at least 1 play run. 

limit the number of timeouts teams can have to just 2 per half..3 is just too many..

 
Fumble out of the end zone.

PI?  Maybe....although I understand the reason for keeping it as is.  Any PI change would have to include some sort of "unsportsmanlike conduct" penalty on top of the PI if deemed flagrant to at least TRY to prevent DBs from just tackling the receiver. Allow two enforcable penalties on a play like that "PI -15 yard and automatic 1st down & Unsportsmanlike Conduct 15 yard penalty + a warning.

Figure out what a catch is.

 
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switch to college rules. clock stops on all first downs.. one foot in bounds for a reception. a catch is a catch if held , it doesn't matter if the balls shifts from hand to hand.

James' catch vs. Patriots a few weeks ago was a catch cmon now.. stop the nonsense.

stop the ref  reviews... the one they had in the Miami game in London was absolutely the worst ,ever.

if there's a hold on the Vikings sideline and the pass is caught on the saints sideline, why are you calling a penalty on something that happened 50 yards away from the ball ?!?! it has no bearing on the play whatsoever .

stop the ice the kicker timeout..

get rid of the 2-minute warning ..

if the pylon sits out of bounds at the endzone how is touching it considered inbounds and  a TD?!  so you can backhand the pylon from OOB and sideswipe it and it's still a TD?! nonsense..the ball MUST cross the goal-line

how about tossing the fans a bone - after a referee review, you CANNOT call a timeout unless/until  there is  at least 1 play run. 

limit the number of timeouts teams can have to just 2 per half..3 is just too many..
Sheesh lots of awful ideas here.

 
Overtime rules are stupid, incorporate the college rules.

Extra point, just move it back to the old way

 
So after this last game and waiting 10 minutes for a kneel down on a worthless extra point it got me wondering what other rules they should change.

I would like to see holding penalty calls put down to 5 yards or just picked up on kick off or punt returns if it is a touchback or a fair catch. It obvious had no bearing on the play, throw the flag still then make the correct call.

My other rule change would be to get rid of the automatic 1st downs for everything except personal fouls.
1. If it’s a 1 or 2 point game, the defense can score on the extra point to tie the game. By this logic, when the offense is in victory formation with the game locked up they shouldn’t even have to do kneel downs or play out the rest of the clock. 

2. Just don’t hold? Return man catches ball in end zone, sees flag fly and knows it’s probably holding, “oof, well probably shouldn’t run this one out.”

3. Maybe, if it’s a penalty that could have erased a potential first down then no. Example of what should not be an automatic first down: hands to the face(mask). 

 
Pass interference as a spot foul. Stop that crap.
came in here to post the same thing. as it stands now (being a spot foul) it should be the only reviewable play. it is a potential 98-yard penalty with no oversight. and in situations like yesterday it weighs way too heavily in rewarding an underthrown ball (42 yard pently iirc because the ball was severely underthrown).

 
Fix the concussion protocol so that wobbly players aren't allowed to continue playing. It's embarrassing.
Why stop at players, all wobbly fans to the medical tent as well. 

But yeah, agreed, it’s made progress but is still a mess. 

 
1/2 the distance to the goal penalties are unfair to the team facing the end zone. Going one way you might lose a foot, the other way same penalty gets 15. 

 
Pass interference as a spot foul. Stop that crap.
The rule really does make sense.  

Maybe they could create a regular versus flagrant PI? I dunno.  I don't think it can be changed though because a 15 yard penalty isn't proportionate to a DB tackling a WR who just burned him on a very likely 60 yard TD... 

ETA: I really like the suggestion above to keep it a spot foul but make it reviewable.  That'd help a ton (while slowing the game down). 

 
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I've always said, if a team is within their 10 or whatever and gets a half-the-distance penalty to back them up, then the same amount of yardage should be added forward to get the first down. So, for example, a five yard penalty when the offense is on the 1 yard line backs them up 18 inches, but, instead of needing 10.5 yards for a first down, it should now be 14.5. 
This makes a ton of sense. 

 
switch to college rules. clock stops on all first downs.. one foot in bounds for a reception. a catch is a catch if held , it doesn't matter if the balls shifts from hand to hand.

James' catch vs. Patriots a few weeks ago was a catch cmon now.. stop the nonsense.

stop the ref  reviews... the one they had in the Miami game in London was absolutely the worst ,ever.

if there's a hold on the Vikings sideline and the pass is caught on the saints sideline, why are you calling a penalty on something that happened 50 yards away from the ball ?!?! it has no bearing on the play whatsoever .

stop the ice the kicker timeout..

get rid of the 2-minute warning ..

if the pylon sits out of bounds at the endzone how is touching it considered inbounds and  a TD?!  so you can backhand the pylon from OOB and sideswipe it and it's still a TD?! nonsense..the ball MUST cross the goal-line

how about tossing the fans a bone - after a referee review, you CANNOT call a timeout unless/until  there is  at least 1 play run. 

limit the number of timeouts teams can have to just 2 per half..3 is just too many..
I don't agree with a single one of these.  I assume you sell jump to conclusions mats?

 
Maybe I’m being the resident devils advocate in this thread, but I’d like to say I like the idea that you have to control the ball, without it touching my the ground, if you are going to the ground as you make the catch. 

 
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I'd like to see it changed to ALL plays you must finish the play with control of the ball. It's total BS that just because the ball crosses the plane and you fumble .01 seconds later, it's a touchdown, That same play happens literally anywhere else on the field and it's a clear fumble.

 
we got to have replay. As much as I hate more replay's we need it
Do we?  In some perfect world replay would be okay, but I'd rather get rid of the whole damn thing than keep going in the direction it's going.  The pace of play is so bad now and the (almost) complete randomness of close calls is laughable.

The NFL is easily the worst run major sport and the way they conduct replay is just one of many ways it manifests itself.  They used to go to a peep tent.  Now they have some person holding a screen on their body like a prisoner of war holding a dated newspaper.  Either way NFL replay intrusive to the games flow and does little to make the officiating more accurate.  Let's quit blindly expanding it hoping the next addition will be better.

 
Fumble "through" the end zone should not be a turnover. A fumble OOB anywhere else on the field remains with the offense. The defense should actually have to, you know, recover the damn ball, for their team to automatically receive the ball. Offense should keep the ball at the point of the fumble.

A procedural rule that I've been yelling for for years is the play clock after a long play. Any play made of 30+ yards inevitably leads to the offense being forced to use a timeout or suffer a delay of game. It's a virtual guarantee after any play of 50+ yards. The offense shouldn't be punished like that for making a big play. An officials timeout until the chains can get set or even just an extra 5 seconds or so on that play clock after a long play would be more fair.

Agree with JU above re. PI...can't adopt the college rules on it...NFL defenders would just rape the WRs. I wouldn't mind going to a major/minor definition but people were so unhappy with how that worked with facemasks they did away with it. SPeaking of which......

When they ditched the 5/15 yard facemasks they said they would ignore the minor incidental facemasks where the head wasn't turned, yet they often flag both these AND the minor incidental hands brushing the head/mask of the QB. Quit that crap!

Agree with posters above about picking up flags for holding calls that OBVIOUSLY have zero impact on the outcome of the play. The left end held a d-lineman on an off-tackle right play? Really? And you're bringing back a 30 yard run for it? REALLY?

 
1. If it’s a 1 or 2 point game, the defense can score on the extra point to tie the game. By this logic, when the offense is in victory formation with the game locked up they shouldn’t even have to do kneel downs or play out the rest of the clock. 

2. Just don’t hold? Return man catches ball in end zone, sees flag fly and knows it’s probably holding, “oof, well probably shouldn’t run this one out.”

3. Maybe, if it’s a penalty that could have erased a potential first down then no. Example of what should not be an automatic first down: hands to the face(mask). 
I get the 1 or 2 point game, but anything above that there is no need. 

And if it isn't holding and the other team was offside, or illegal formation. 

I was mainly thinking of defensive holding which is a 5 yard penalty, but an automatic 1st down. 

 
The half the distance rule is BS. If you’re on your 8 yard line and get a holding call, the ball should not go to the four it should go to the goal line. 

 
The half the distance rule is BS. If you’re on your 8 yard line and get a holding call, the ball should not go to the four it should go to the goal line. 
So a false start when on your four and a half yard line results in....a safety?

Perhaps they could combine your thought with another suggested above and give the OFFENSE an option: from inside your own 20, you can add the yards to the yard to gain instead of going backwards.

 
Get rid of the “is it a catch?” Rules. It’s getting so ridiculous that every catch has to be slowed down and watched, and “Oh, i saw the ball gyrate roughly 13 degrees internally, so, it might not be enough to overturn, but this is a good review.”
This...particularly in critical game junctures it completely stunts the dramatic build-up.

 
Get rid of the ref stopping every play to go look at the replay on the sidelines.  What's the purpose of having officials in the booth if they can't just make the call?  Have a booth official simply tell the white hat the outcome, where the ball should be spotted, etc., and play ball.  If the white hat ref needs to be the ultimate say, then put him in the booth so he can see everything on the field and has instant access to replay.  No reason to stop the game for 6-8 minutes just to review a play.  

 
Those of you wanting to change the catch rule... how would you define a catch?

i get that the current rule takes away from big plays in big moments. I get that it overturns what looks like clear catches to the naked eye. But, we have to define it somehow. So, how would you do it?

 
Those of you wanting to change the catch rule... how would you define a catch?

i get that the current rule takes away from big plays in big moments. I get that it overturns what looks like clear catches to the naked eye. But, we have to define it somehow. So, how would you do it?
I think for all of instant replay, they should only be allowed to review the play at a certain speed closer to real-time.

It’s the frame-by-frame analysis that IMO causes all the uncertainty.  

 
I would like to see the NFL (and college football for that matter) allow for coaches on the field to request for replay on ANY play/penalty/situation based on the number of timeouts remaining (or some preset number of challenges) - instead of calls from the booth. So let the coaching on the sidelines determine which errant calls were the most egregious to them and allow them the chance to throw the red flag for ALL situations (no more "non-reviewable" plays). If it cannot be determined on replay, then the coach loses a challenge opp/timeout. When those are gone, so are the replays. If the sideline coaches don't see the significance of having a situation reviewed, then there shouldn't be one. Hopefully try to stop some of the nit-picky replays happening so often.

 
I'd like to see it changed to ALL plays you must finish the play with control of the ball. It's total BS that just because the ball crosses the plane and you fumble .01 seconds later, it's a touchdown, That same play happens literally anywhere else on the field and it's a clear fumble.
Not BS at all.  Once the ball crosses the goal line the play is over.  Otherwise you're going to open another can of worms with having control of the ball.  If you don't like the catch rules there's no way you could be in favor of this idea because it would have the same negative affects.

 

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