What rules would you change in the NFL?

[4miler]

Mine is a little extreme but I would like to see HOLDING aloud on both sides of the ball. This would be one less things for the refs to do. If the o-line could legally hold this would allow the qb more time to find a wr thats not being held.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Out of the Box rule. I would not allow the QB to intentionally ground the ball once he gets outside of the tackle. A smart QB can do this fairly easily. It really hurts the defense IMO.

 

[BrassCowboy]

wow do I agree with this, and I have quite a few ideas to do just that to make the NFL fun again.

1. Only deliberate and obvious BIG late hits on QB be penalized.
2. go back to allowing catches on sideline when player is obviously pushed out of bounds.
3. allow nonintentional interference from defensive backs, let the guys play.
4. Most celebrations in endzone should be allowed
5. players should be allowed to take helmet off on field
6. Only prolonged horsecollars should be called, not most of them
7. the MBIII hand stiffs (forgot what they are called) to the face should be ok

these are only a few, believe me I have many more to repeal but I have to go

ok, time to add more:

8. obvious unintentional tripping should be overlooked. I mean come on!
9. Pass interference penalties should be 15 yards like college, for two reasons: would he have caught the ball, and QBs throw long deep balls in the waning seconds of a half in order to draw a PI flag.
10. what the hell is a vulnerable WR? If he is anywhere near the ball, he is game.
11. Allow all penalties, fumbles, and possession changing calls be replayable, even if whistle is blown but not after next play is run. See #12
12. Allow all replay calls to come from booth upstairs who can look at the call from the time it happened. Request for a replay still has to come from the coaches and the field, but result should be able to come from upstairs booth. This will speed the whole thing up greatly allowing for more challenges.

 

[kmp77]

1. Replay official - have 1 guy in a booth that reviews every play or every flagged play. Give him the video works to get every review angle he needs on a dime. Then have a button wired to the scoreboard or a light next to the play clocks he can buzz to stop the clock to inform the official of the right call. Have him act like a ref on the field. No more of this one ref going to the booth on the field and still making the wrong call.

2. Two feet in - maybe go to the college way, one foot in. That or make college two feet in. You can stand on one foot so why doesn't that count? Would save time in every game having to decide if he got that second foot in. I could understand if it was LAND with two feet in bounds, but if the 2nd foot just has to barely touch as you fall out of bounds...whats the point?

3. Refs who continously make bad calls should be banned for a game or more. And kicked in the balls if they cost a team the game. Like one kick per ball. Repeatedly

4. Tuck rule, if you're not throwing it, it's a fumble.

5. Roughing the kicker.....touching the leg of a kicker that's just hanging it out there for no reason isn't roughing. It should be ROGHING the kicker...not just brushing his leg or bumping into him. All you have to do is brush the leg and if the kicker just falls down....its a penalty. Blah

6. Roster - Make it 60ish and everyone is active. Any QB can go in too at any time like every other position.

 

[casmith07]

They need to bring back the force out too -- I think a receiver going straight up in the air to make a catch only to be pushed out of bounds should be called a catch. The NFL took it out citing that they wanted to remove the judgment call mentality, but what's pass interference?

Allow a catch on a force out, but make it reviewable to see if he would have otherwise come down inbounds. Use something to track the player's feet like that thing in tennis that determines a ball in or out.

 

[Hostile]

I think a penalty for a horse collar tackle is beyond stupid.

 

[jazzcat22]

Coaches can't call a last second timeout on FG attempts, or snapping the ball.

This makes an unecessary play. What if a player is injured, such as the K, then can't rekick. And cost the team the game.

 

[kmp77]

Coaches can't call a last second timeout on FG attempts, or snapping the ball.

This makes an unecessary play. What if a player is injured, such as the K, then can't rekick. And cost the team the game.

This is the worst thing. I'm suprised this wasn't removed this season. As soon as the kicker is set, you can't call a time out. Icing the kicker is bs.

 

[Shady12]

I don't understand the point of a forceout rule anyway. It's football, why shouldn't the D be able to push them out of bounds not to catch it? Why not change it so that if a player has the ball running down the field, you aren't allowed to push him out of bounds? Make them tackle him in bounds! Sound ridiculous? Well it's the same thing. And the suggestion of not allowing a TD if the ball breaks the plane..Ummmm, wow?

 

[rkell87]

how bout we let the players decide what rules they think are fair and what they will put up with? if player safty is the mentality that goes into the violent stiff arm, cowboy coller, 5 yard contact, ect... how bout the players, who actually get paid to take these risks with their bodies, have input into what risks they take?

i just want the hitting to be put back in this sport...if i were a player i would rally the players in my unit to be aggresive and publicly proclaim how we were gonna play the game and we would gladly accept any penalty doled out to us. then go out and make sure that if we are gonna get penilized for hitting the qb then he got put on his ***...hard!

qb hangs a ball over the middle then the reciever either a)protects himself and lets the ball get picked off or b) goes up and gets it and gets some cracked ribs. now days we're letting em catch it and get on the ground before we hit em!(note i played wr from little league through highschool this is the way the game is played)

 

[es22]

No contact after 5 yards, that is the worse rule in the history of man kind. It is a contact sport there is going to be some contact. I also dont think it should be PI for the QB throws up a duck, if your running full speed with someone and they suddenly stop to go back for a duck and you run into them, then too bad. Why reward teams for bad play, make them earn their yards.

Use college football's review system or something similar. The whole 2 challenges thing is the worse idea ever.

Get rid of the illegal contact rule. They secondary has no chance. Plus, get rid of inadvertant hits to the head.

 

[rynochop]

4. Most celebrations in endzone should be allowed
5. players should be allowed to take helmet off on field

I'm with you on the celebrations, to an extent, spiking, etc. Even some of TO's stuff he got flagged for was pretty funny...but the big orchestrated 5 man stuff like whoever did it back in the day, (Skins?) No to that

Also never liked the taking the helmet off deal, i didnt like it when Emmitt did it either.

Agree with everyone on the PI rules, 15 yards is sufficient on incidental contact...which really shouldnt be called anyway. Blatant PI should be at the spot of the foul.
I hate to say, i dont mind the babying of the QB, its a star driven league. Dont agree with the Brady rule, doubt we'll see it called much though.

No to the flying WR, like they did in the Arena league, looks too much like, well, the Arena league. I was impressed how they were able to time it though.

 

[jimmy40]

Last year’s rule of eliminating the force out I would like to see go back to the original rule

The force out was the dumbest rule ever, glad it's gone.

 

[Biggems]

I have always hated the Half the distance to the goal nonsense. Basically, if the yardage needed to reach the end zone (either forward or backward) exceeds the penalty yardage, then 1/2 the distance should be ignored.

To clarify. Dallas is on their own 6 yd line. Flozell is called for a false start. Instead of going 1/2 the distance and being placed at the 3.....there is enough room to mark off the full 5 yd penalty, so the ball should be placed at the 1. Now, if another offensive penalty is called (one that won't result in a safety), you use the 1/2 the distance rule.


I hate that pretty much any defensive penalty results in a 1st down. You can have the offense in a 3rd and 30, commit a defensive holding at the LOS and give them a 1st down. That is bogus to me. Just mark off the yardage and replay the down.

I do feel that defensive holding should be 10 yds, like offensive holding, instead of 5.


Get rid of the tuck rule. It sucks.


I don't get the knew wedge rules on KOs. Let teams use whatever formation they want on KOs. If it works, awesome, if it blows up in their faces, awesome. Football is supposed to be a physical chess match. The League is taking away all the pawns.


Allow onside kicks to be advanced by both teams, not just the receiving team.


Allow the defense the ability to return blocked PATs or turnovers forced on 2-pt conversions for a safety. I think this would definitely make games more exciting.


Make the rosters 60, game day active 50, and practice squad 5.


Allow end zone dances, use the football and/or teammates as props, etc. Allow for some creativity. However, the celebration must be over and the players on the sidelines before they line up to kick the PAT or it is a Delay of Game Penalty, enforced on the kickoff.


All officials must have a complete and thorough eye examination prior to the season. They must wear presecription contacts or eye glasses throughout the entire game day. If they fail to comply they will be fined or even terminated. Apparently, the league is having issues with blindness amongst referees.


Ok this one is dangerous, but I'd like to see how it plays out. No more fair catches on punts. No more kneeling on KOs. You catch the kick, you run with the kick until the play is over. The only exception is on the final play of a half. You may call for catch to set up a last play FG attempt. The only reason I want to see this rule changed is to simply see the impact it will have on the game to have no more fair catches. I know a lot of PRs will be living in the ER. Would it cause receiving teams to lineup on Punts the way they do KOs? Would that then allow the punting team to try various fake plays....I find it fun to imagine the possibilities.

 

[Biggems]

Penalties should be reviewable. Imagine that GB game a few years ago, if we could have reviewed DWares offsides. It would have negated the penalty and they would have had to punt, instead of getting the first down and scoring. The game would not have been as close as it was.

IMO, the coaches should be able to challenge whatever. If they win the first 2, they get their 3rd. If they lose, they lose their TOs.

Just give the coaches the freedom they should have.

 

[jimmy40]

5. I'd like to see full-time officials. This age-old practice of part-time guys doesn't work anymore. This should be a full-time job so that the refs are properly trained and know what is and isn't an infraction. We see too many times when plays are not called consistently and I believe this is partly due to this being essentially a hobby for these guys. It would also give the league a LOT more leverage in disciplining officials who are not doing their job correctly. Each game should be reviewed and each official scored on how well he did his job. Did he miss too many holding calls? Did he call penalties based on what he "thinks" happened instead of what he actually saw? Was he distracted? Was he not paying attention to the right players? etc. I realize that you can't call every game without mistakes but since they have such an enormous impact on the outcome everything should be done to eliminate as many as possible.

That's enough for now...

Each game and each call are already reviewed. What are these "full time" officials going to do the other 6 days a week?

 

[Biggems]

Intentional Grounding.........this is a stupid rule, as to how it is enforced.

If the QB chucks the ball beyond the first down marker to absolutely no one, how is that intentional grounding. Even if the ball is thrown out of bounds, as long as it goes beyond the first down marker (or 10 yds, depending on which is farther), it should not be intentional grounding, even if the QB is in the pocket. Why reward the defense for the QB being smart enough to throw the ball away and avoid the sack?

Now if the QB is being pressured and he can't get it passed the LOS, the First Down Marker, or even 10 yds down field, then IG should be enforced.

It upset me quite a bit to see Romo getting called for IG, when the ball went like 20+ yds down field. Other QBs like Ben, Peyton, Brady, etc do not get this bogus call. IMO, none of those throws were intentional grounding.

 

[Biggems]

Each game and each call are already reviewed. What are these "full time" officials going to do the other 6 days a week?

The day after the game, they study the game they just called. They go over it with a fine tooth comb. Any bad calls will be documented. The officials will then be asked to improve in these areas the following week. If they make the same mistakes again, they will be fined.

The refs get 2 days off in the middle of the week to spend with their families.

The rest of the time they are either watching game film, practicing their calls, practicing their positioning on the field, and working out as to stay in peak physical condition.

 

[jimmy40]

we lost a SB to Pitts on such a travesty

We did?

 

[jimmy40]

They need to bring back the force out too -- I think a receiver going straight up in the air to make a catch only to be pushed out of bounds should be called a catch. The NFL took it out citing that they wanted to remove the judgment call mentality, but what's pass interference?

Allow a catch on a force out, but make it reviewable to see if he would have otherwise come down inbounds. Use something to track the player's feet like that thing in tennis that determines a ball in or out.

How about if you don't catch the ball in bounds it's not a catch?