The NFL owners eliminated the tuck rule today at the owners’ meeting. Thank God! It may have been the dumbest rule ever. I didn’t understand it anyway. It was also known as the “Brady rule.” Hardly anyone knew it existed until that infamous game between the Patriots and Raiders in 2002. Now, it’s gone. Good riddance.
The owners also passed a ban on offensive ball carriers that lead with the crown of their helmet in the open field on a defender. The infraction is a 15 yard penalty. Huh? Yep, the league just eliminated a dumb rule and replaced it with an even dumber one. I mean, you didn't see the "tuck rule" called that often...but the "helmet rule" could be called several times a game.
How can you officiate the “helmet rule?” It passed by a 31 to 1 margin. I think the team that voted against it should be rewarded with an automatic $5 million dollars in salary cap room. I’m not kidding. I’m waiting for the league to put flags on the uniforms next season!! It’s coming!
As a fan of the NFL, I want the officials out of the game as much as possible. This rule clearly places them in the middle of the action, potentially impacting the outcome of a game. That’s not what we want, is it?
We’ll discuss the rule changes today at 4:00 on SportsTalk with me and Bobby Hebert.