The helmet rule is serious bullcrap

[steelreserve]

First off, don't get me wrong - I am not placing all the blame for the loss on the Bell lost-helmet call. It did hurt us, but we did just as much to lose the game ourselves. In fact, really neither team played like they wanted to win tonight; it was one of those games that when you play that way, it comes down to who gets the breaks, and we got damn few of them.

But anyway, here's why I'm pissed. The no-helmet rule was designed to stop dangerous plays where a guy tries to keep running after his helmet comes off. There's an obvious reason for that, whether I really think it's necessary or not. What it was NOT designed to do was stop a play where a guy is already falling down a split-second before he hits the ground, then go back and nitpick over the spot. There's no benefit to that for anyone; if anything, it rewards the defense for a hit to the head, which I thought is exactly what the league didn't want. That play should've ended when the natural end was, when the runner hit the ground.

Why did this make a difference - we scored anyway two plays later, right? Well, on one of those plays, our starting center got hurt. Yeah, that happens at random, and who's to say it wouldn't have happened anyway on the next play. But in that case, it also screwed us out of a timeout. Did anyone notice that? Velasco got hurt, and we were charged with a timeout because it was inside of 5:00 - EVEN THOUGH THE CLOCK WAS STOPPED ANYWAY FROM THE INCOMPLETE PASS, another bullcrap rule that I hate - and then when the Ravens got the ball back, they could just kneel down. If we'd had two timeouts, with just over 1:00 left, at least they would've had to kick the ball if we stopped them. And actually, we probably would've had time for another few plays if they'd just let the Bell touchdown stand.

Overall, no, we didn't play great tonight, but all that lawyering over the rules made the end of the game jerky, stilted, and IMO took away from the actual football being played and turned it into a nitpicking contest. Fuck that. The guy got into the end zone, you give him a touchdown, not sit there going "well, but this, and whereas that and heretofore blah blah blah." Do not bring that weak stuff in here.

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PS - I know they are going to continue to "bring that weak stuff" because that's the way that pro football is going. It still pisses me off to see, though, so I figured if I'm not bitching about it, I'm not doing my job.

[fansince'76]

I mentioned this in the Heros and Zeros thread, but it's even more apropos here...


Zero: The NFL's "safety" rules.

Bell gives up his body and gets his bell rung to score a TD, but thanks to the NFL's "safety rules" it isn't counted since his helmet flew off a microsecond before he crossed the goal line. As a result, the Steelers are forced to run two more plays in order to score the TD, costing them yet ANOTHER player to injury in the process.

Irony, anyone? I'm going to be FURIOUS if Velasco is forced to miss significant time.

[Seven]

Yeah, I'm not blaming the loss on this AT ALL. But it needs to be either some sort of soft rule (IE: if a player is falling into the end zone the refs can disregard the policy) or within a certain yard line the rule is null. Five, three, one, whatever. I understand why the rule is in place, but there need to be specifications that prevent what we saw tonight from happening again.

[SteelerFanInStl]

As I said in the game day thread, you can't stop a player in mid air. That's just BULLSHIT! The ball should be marked down where he touches the ground.

[Psycho Ward 86]

i hate to say it but i disagree. even if a player is falling to the ground with a helmet off, if opposing defenders are given permission to clean their clock, they absolutely will do it.

us getting charged a timeout after an incomplete pass was bullshit though.

[Seven]

i hate to say it but i disagree. even if a player is falling to the ground with a helmet off, if opposing defenders are given permission to clean their clock, they absolutely will do it.

That's a good point. The only issue I have there is, what defensive player is actually going to realize the helmet is off in time to stop? If that's the reasoning, defenders should be penalized for making contact with the player at any point after the helmet is off. It's a lose lose situation.

[steelreserve]

i hate to say it but i disagree. even if a player is falling to the ground with a helmet off, if opposing defenders are given permission to clean their clock, they absolutely will do it.

Yeah, but in that case, if someone had been trying to lay a hit on him, I doubt they could've stopped. In either case, I just think it's something you can't do one-size-fits all on. But what they did there - going back after the play was over, had already been ruled a touchdown, then calling it back on a technicality - that not only wasn't a smart application of the rule as intended; it didn't have anything to do with safety, or fairness, or really anything positive. Just another random interjection of random Ruleball at a critical time.

Anyway, we did get lucky in another respect - despite being knocked out cold, Bell somehow hung on to the ball long enough to cross the goal line. Usually when a guy gets knocked out, he just goes limp and lets go of the ball instantly. Which Bell did, except that it was pinned to his chest well enough that it stayed there for most of the way down. Lucky break for us, because quite often that ends up being a fumble. Assuming the helmet thing doesn't happen anyway.

[tube517]

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/11/29/5156262/steelers-leveon-bell-touchdown-overturned-rule-helmet-off-removed

[Steeldude]

Why was there no flag thrown for helmet-to-helmet contact? Is it because the player's name was not James Harrison?

[vader29]

Why was there no flag thrown for helmet-to-helmet contact? Is it because the player's name was not James Harrison?
Yes! I was screaming at the tv that if they were going to disallow the td there then it should have at least been a 1st and goal and yet neither expert announcer said anything about it. :rant:

[Crow-Magnon]

As I said in the game day thread, you can't stop a player in mid air. That's just BULLSHIT! The ball should be marked down where he touches the ground.

I agree 100%. I called it a TD and still do, even if it was scored against my team. Attempting to gain yardage after the fact is what this rule was designed to prevent, but not a player in mid-flight.

[86WARD]

Thank Jason Witten.

http://youtu.be/bEXblEAdoG4

[SteelerFanInStl]

i hate to say it but i disagree. even if a player is falling to the ground with a helmet off, if opposing defenders are given permission to clean their clock, they absolutely will do it.

Who says that they're given permission to hit the player without the helmet? We're only talking about a player in mid air being allowed to land and have the ball spotted there.

[Steeldude]

I agree 100%. I called it a TD and still do, even if it was scored against my team. Attempting to gain yardage after the fact is what this rule was designed to prevent, but not a player in mid-flight.

Don't worry, Gooden will implement a no jumping or diving rule next year.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Who says that they're given permission to hit the player without the helmet? We're only talking about a player in mid air being allowed to land and have the ball spotted there.

defenders closing in on a ball carrier do so frequently at FULL SPEED. you dont expect them to be able to stop themselves last second do you?

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Why was there no flag thrown for helmet-to-helmet contact? Is it because the player's name was not James Harrison?

i believe thats only inside the tackle box, and i think he was outside of it. someone correct me if im wrong

[vader29]

i believe thats only inside the tackle box, and i think he was outside of it. someone correct me if im wrong

Outside the tackle box is illegal, so there definitely should have been a flag thrown there.

“The first rule change prohibits a runner or tackler from initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet outside the tackle box,” the video’s narrator says. “There are three components to this foul: First, the player must line up his opponent. Second, he must lower his head. And third, he must deliver a forcible blow with the crown of his helmet to any part of his opponent’s body. The crown is the very top of the helmet. This rule was designed not only to protect the player receiving the blow, but also the player delivering it. Violations of this rule will result in 15-yard penalties for unnecessary roughness, and potential discipline. If the contact occurs in the tackle box, or if all three components are not present, there is no foul.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/06/nfl-officiating-video-stresses-new-crown-of-the-helmet-rule/

[Psycho Ward 86]

Outside the tackle box is illegal, so there definitely should have been a flag thrown there.

“The first rule change prohibits a runner or tackler from initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet outside the tackle box,” the video’s narrator says. “There are three components to this foul: First, the player must line up his opponent. Second, he must lower his head. And third, he must deliver a forcible blow with the crown of his helmet to any part of his opponent’s body. The crown is the very top of the helmet. This rule was designed not only to protect the player receiving the blow, but also the player delivering it. Violations of this rule will result in 15-yard penalties for unnecessary roughness, and potential discipline. If the contact occurs in the tackle box, or if all three components are not present, there is no foul.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/08/06/nfl-officiating-video-stresses-new-crown-of-the-helmet-rule/

looks like i had it backwards. good call. yeah, that is some serious bullshit that it wasnt flagged. especially when it was a scoring play under review. jesus, refs couldnt even get an obvious call correct on rewind? oh well, we wouldve lost anyways

[Craic]

Yeah, I'm not blaming the loss on this AT ALL. But it needs to be either some sort of soft rule (IE: if a player is falling into the end zone the refs can disregard the policy) or within a certain yard line the rule is null. Five, three, one, whatever. I understand why the rule is in place, but there need to be specifications that prevent what we saw tonight from happening again.

I think that's a great idea. Unfortunately, you know that it'd just lead up to a ref's call one day that everyone considers unfair. But I don't like the idea of taking the ref's judgment out of the scenario.

[st33lersguy]

Definitely has to be re-modified to allow continuation of play in mid-air. What is the rule designed to do? Stopping a helmet-less player from advancing, but they can't help it if they are in mid-air.

[Dwinsgames]

the rule was most likely put into place for runners . receivers who where still on their feet not guys on the way to the ground anyways as the play is dead when they go down regardless considering it took contact to knock the helmet off , they forgot however to invoke the common sense factor into the rule and the officials do not bother to try and rationalize the rule they call it as it is written ( and they should ) the issue is they are not always written correctly

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Definitely has to be re-modified to allow continuation of play in mid-air. What is the rule designed to do? Stopping a helmet-less player from advancing, but they can't help it if they are in mid-air.

exactly

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Why was there no flag thrown for helmet-to-helmet contact? Is it because the player's name was not James Harrison?



I questioned that too in the game thread

[Spike]

I know it's been said - but there is no way in hell that wasn't a TD

http://nesncom.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/leveon-bell.gif

[fansince'76]

I know it's been said - but there is no way in hell that wasn't a TD

http://nesncom.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/leveon-bell.gif

No biggie, we scored the TD anyway. The 2 extra plays it took to do so only cost us our second starting center of the season, but what the hell, right? It was all done in the name of "player safety," after all. :coffee:

[Spike]

The 2 extra plays it took to do so only cost us our second starting center of the season

yeah - the football gods are against us - we are cursed

[Texasteel]

I know it's been said - but there is no way in hell that wasn't a TD

http://nesncom.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/leveon-bell.gif

There is so much wrong with this call, and all of it lays at the feet of the leagues front office.

[Spike]

of course if Heath had one more step earlier in the drive he would have scored and none of the injuries to Bell or Velasco would have happened - - the gods were against us

[stillers4me]

They screwed us even before this rule. Remember when Ray Ray knocked Hines out and he dropped the football ( because he was unconscious...duh) and instead of a flag being thrown, a fifteen yard penalty and a first down for us, the Ravens got the ball. :upyours:

The Ravens won that game and Stab it Ray was later fined. No outrage from the sports media was heard.

[salamander]

Since when does Roger Goodell actually care about player safety? :ranger:

[Mojouw]

In Goodell's sham effort to legislate player safety (I think I have made it clear on multiple occasions that the NFL "efforts" towards player safety are simply a PR move to protect a multi-billion dollar industry and to pave the way for an 18 game season.), the league has put the officials in a situation where they are trying to make rulings on intent and make calls that ignore the laws of physics. Top that with badly written rules and it is essentially impossible to make a common sense ruling.

[steelreserve]

What's really sickening about this whole thing in a bigger sense is the way that people have become conditioned to immediately start nitpicking and squawking over the rules, to the point where that is almost more central to the game than the play itself. A football game now contains about 30 minutes of action and 60 minutes of lawyering, to go along with 90 minutes of standing around for commercial breaks.

When Bell scored that TD, were they saying things like, "What an important score - too bad he's hurt ... wow, it's amazing that he held on to the ball?" No, it's immediately things like "HEY! There's this obscure rule - yeah, it should've been a touchdown, but the ball goes here, no it goes here, no it goes over there ... his knee wasn't down, no wait, according to the rule, it doesn't matter where his knee is down, well actually the rule doesn't say anything about that, we'll see what they make up on the fly ... remember player safety! And remember they made this rule because of Jason Witten - wow, that was another dangerous play, and with all the evidence they've discovered recently about concussions, blah blah ... player safety ... blah blah, the rule used to be this ... blah blah, some other rule, but remember, the Ravens don't get charged with a timeout because of even more rules." If I wanted to listen to that crap all day I'd go sit in the gallery of a courtroom.

Disgusting what the game has become - and worse yet, people are jumping right on board with it like it's a thrilling new pastime. I really can't think of an explanation for it, except that the average IQ is 100 and that means 50% of all people are below it.

[Dwinsgames]

In Goodell's sham effort to legislate player safety (I think I have made it clear on multiple occasions that the NFL "efforts" towards player safety are simply a PR move to protect a multi-billion dollar industry and to pave the way for an 18 game season.), the league has put the officials in a situation where they are trying to make rulings on intent and make calls that ignore the laws of physics. Top that with badly written rules and it is essentially impossible to make a common sense ruling.

the bold red highlights it all , its a lost concept in today's society and less and less people have it or use it everyday in all walks of life regardless of educational background .... all the schooling in the world does not garner you one ounce of common sense , either you have it or you don't