NFL Rules: Past, Present and Future Changes

Other Leagues and Sports
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As detailed by @BetweenTheGoalposts in his excellent research as shared via the following link, and awful lot of special teams players from the spring leagues have made it to the NFL.

As detailed in the UFL thread, special teams play is being heavily encouraged in the UFL on both kickoffs and punts, which will look like, old school kick offs and punts.

There is a bit of mystery at hand here, beyond the naturally higher appeal of more kick returns for most fans at the stadium and at home, as to why the NFL would take any interest in having more kick returns in the UFL and not less, unlike of course as we have seen in the NFL itself on both kickoffs and punts.

The special teams play in the UFL is worthy of checking out this spring also along these lines of NFL interests.

No one is the wiser of course, but to me this is a small sign that the NFL might not change the kickoff rule this season though perhaps like most, I feel the change in kickoffs in the NFL is penciled in for this decade after the owners debate and decide exactly WHAT to change.

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22

In non-news for many of us including me, in rugby terms as it resembles to its foundations as well as in its coaching, the rolling maul that is the “brotherly shove” or “tush push” is here to stay.

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23

until it injures a star QB or two

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There is always the risk of such horrible injury in the game no doubt beyond this play.

Otherwise only the owners can ultimately rule on the matter of any changes in rules, and there is zero interest now.

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I don’t have a big problem with this play. It’s not egregious or nonsensical like “punting” a ball one foot and gaining 20 yards or “recovering” a fumble that bounces off your ass out of bounds.

I do take some issue with consistency of the rules though. The article says you can’t pull or carry a ball carrier. Why not? That’s a lot harder to do than pushing them from behind. I don’t think it would be very hard to tackle a “ball carrier” if he was being piggybacked. To some extent I also wonder why you can’t pile on someone to block a field goal. Not quite the same, but it still in principle uses a teammate. It wouldn’t bother me if all these things were legal (or illegal) for the sake of consistency, specially the carry and pull ban that exists with a push being legal.

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26

This report reminds me of the time a few years ago after the NFL had already started using a chip in the ball so as to assist with determinations of the ball had crossed the plane of the goal line or not. It was only revealed after the fact in a Tweet via NFL partner AWS that such a chip existed.

So look now what has already been tested to help with spotting the ball and determination of first down.

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27

And now discussion to change the kickoff is in serious consideration.

The history of the changes over a decade ago, which included moving the kickoff back to the 35-yard line from the 30-yard line, is not depicted accurately here.

But the rest of the article is on the mark.

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In this excellent 8-minute video is a great explanation for why most of the rules in modern American football exist.

This observation stands even with all the changes in the game until 1912, and ever since, since the first recorded football game in the US in 1869, Princeton University at Rutgers University: Rutgers 6, Princeton 4.

Though not mentioned specifically, many of the explanations of the differences in rules as compared to Canadian football are at hand here as well.

Back then in 1869 and for over a decade, “football” resembled a mix of soccer, rugby, and Australian rules football rather than gridiron football.

In 1912, many of the changes to make the game resemble modern American football were made at last after 43 years and a whole lot of carnage in a game that resembled more rugby ever since the concept of downs was even introduced in the early 1880s.

For example, 1912 was when American football went to four downs from three downs as well as actual end zones were added to the field, which was shortened from 110 yards to 100 yards! Sound familiar!?

I also recommend this channel for the sake of the history of American football in a substantially concise and organized video format.

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George Carlin had some rule ideas as well.

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30

Further discussion about some potential rule changes for this year.

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I like keeping a challenge if they’ve been successful. If the refs screw up, that’s on them, not the coach.

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32

Over the years amidst the speculation about changes in rules, I notice that the more the media talk about any particular new rule proposal that otherwise had not been mentioned already for months such as changes to the kickoff, the far less likely I think that at least 24 of the 32 owners will approve the change.

The jury is out for changes to the kickoff for me, though I would like to see a positive change made. I do not like the idea of any 4th and long gimmickry as an option late in the game though.

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33

The NFL could always adopt the 6 inch dribble punt rule and apply it to onside kicks as well. That’s not too gimmicky. :grin:

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34

Oh dear please don’t let it come to this! Go figure, such a rule that was also called an “onside kick,” though rarely used, and did indeed exist in American football prior to 1912 as noted in the video linked above.

Please not ANY of that either NFL!

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35

I will be happy to see merely ONE of the ideas proposed pass the 75% approval threshold, especially if it’s a proposed idea or otherwise to improve the kickoff so long as it is WITHOUT any 4th and long or other gimmickry (i.e. essentially most teams would simply just fling up the ball for an arm punt at worst!).

As commented in the UFL thread, I have been surprised that a spring league will not continue to use the XFL format, which has mostly positive reviews. I would think that if that XFL format were the way of the future, the NFL would have preferred such a format be played more rather than what sounds now like a special teams run-around and grinder for the players in the UFL, except for perhaps the return man, long snapper, and the kicker with their skills on instant display.

Like in most years, I will also be happy to see the entire rest of these proposed ideas die on the vine and hopefully not be heard from ever again. For one or two, perhaps I would be neutral on the matter and not care, but for most, no.

Less is more for changes in the rules in my view, even if there indeed do remain improvements to be examined in future years.

That statement goes double for that smaller yet louder faction of fans who make decisions in general as if the real deal were a video game. I don’t want that bunch, with heavy crossover with advocacy for the inane concept of a hub team for that matter, anywhere near any rules or standards for any environment sports or otherwise. They can stick to their virtual reality so long as it does not cross reality for all I care.

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36

So today the list of official proposals for changes to rules was submitted by the NFL.

From here the owners will discuss and vote in late April at their annual meetings.

Two of the major proposals are covered in this article.

The first of the proposals covered is to outlaw the “Hip Drop Tackle,” which I covered much earlier in this thread yet now is far better defined.

This change is a welcome change. I don’t see this rule change facing resistance so as to outlaw what is clearly dangerous play as now better defined.

An alternative description for this dangerous play could be the “swinging tackle,” for the tackler simply grabs the ball carrier with both hands and then uses the player for leverage to swing so as to drive himself into the ball carrier with his hips or body otherwise below the tackler’s waist.

Hip-drop tackle

The NFL is aiming to create and enforce 15-yard penalties for players who use a “hip-drop tackle” to bring down an opposing ball carrier. The proposed definition of an infraction is as follows: When a player “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms” and “unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s legs at or below the knee.” The penalty would also grant the opposing team an automatic first down.

Then of course there is the proposed new kickoff.

Here are the two official diagrams that goes with the the proposal.

The proposed new NFL kickoff resembles heavily the XFL kickoff of 2023, as well as to some degree, also the “must return if you can return” kickoff and punt rules of the 2024 UFL, which begins play next Saturday 30 March.

Read the article for a complete description.

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Note that the fair catch would be outlawed on kickoffs.

As for the onside kick, the surprise onside kick of yore shall become a play of the gridiron football past in the NFL.

Onside kicks would remain under this proposal, but teams attempting them would be required to alert the opposing club, and could only do so in the fourth quarter, if trailing.

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37

this kicking change is just too good to actually happen, but here is hoping.

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38

It looks like the NFL owners are meeting on Sunday 24 March into next week, which I overlooked, and not merely in April, like in the past, and they COULD vote on any changes to rules too.

Alternatively, the owners could simply defer to another meeting in late April if there is no vote in the coming days.

On the “hip-drop tackle,” or the “swinging tackle” as I like to call it, the NFLPA has approached the league to request no rule change, but Executive Vice President Troy Vincent, a former player as well, reiterates there is strong advocacy for the prohibition of the effective, though quite dangerous, tackling technique.

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“Hip-Drop” Tackle Banned, Two Other Rule Changes, Former XFL Kickoff-Style Proposal Remains on the Table

And as expected the Hip-Drop Tackle, or as I call it the Swinging Tackle, has been banned plus there are two other new rules for the 2024 season.

All the rest of the annual fancy proposals have been jettisoned, and overwhelmingly for the better in my opinion.

Gimmicks are only good for a small minority of usually more vocal and generally far more uninformed fans when it comes to the history of a sport and the fragile nature that comes with even the simplest changes in rules.

The owners have elected to “defer to the second half”, or table the new kickoff proposal until their next meeting in May.

Maybe the owners will want to see what kickoffs are like in the UFL for sake of the kicking part into the target area, “the landing zone,” from back at the 20-yard line.

At least that live application in the UFL would provide some additional feedback on the kicking part given the same general target area, or quite simply this is a great excuse for a stall tactic.

Or maybe quite simply too many owners were undecided as of yet.

Bold text within the quoted text is my emphasis.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The NFL adopted three new playing rules that will be in effect for the 2024 season. Here are the three approved by the league at the Annual League Meeting on Monday.

    1. By Detroit; amends Rule 15, Section 1, Article 1, to protect a club’s ability to challenge a third ruling following one successful challenge.
    1. By Competition Committee; amends Rule 14, Section 5, Article 2, to allow for an enforcement of a major foul by the offense prior to a change of possession in a situation where there are fouls by both teams.
    1. By Competition Committee; amends Rule 12, Section 2, to eliminate a potentially dangerous tackling technique.

Hip-drop tackle

It is a foul if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground:

  • Grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg at or below the knee.

The penalty will be considered unnecessary roughness, which will be 15 yards and an automatic first down.

    1. By Competition Committee; for one year only, amends Rule 6, to create a new form of a free kick play that is designed to: (1) resemble a typical scrimmage play by aligning players on both teams closer together and restricting movement to reduce space and speed; and (2) promote more returns. Permits the Replay Official automatically review whether a free kick legally touched the ground or a receiving team player in the landing zone (put to table for later vote).
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40

So by now most already know about the approved new kickoff, on a one-year trial, but there were other positive rule changes as well.

Here are two that are great and also will speed up the game in some cases as opposed to waiting all the more via a coach’s challenge.

The more that “Replay Assist” is automatically used for some of these calls, the better I say.

Reviewable plays involving the QB. A play can now be reviewed to make sure a QB got off a pass before being down or pushed out of bounds. This only applies if the ruling on the field is that the QB got off the pass. If the review shows that the QB’s knee was down, the replay assistant can fix that, which will save teams from using a challenge. Also, the NFL can now use replay assist on intentional grounding to determine whether the QB is in or out of the pocket and whether a defender is actually close to sacking the QB (within 2 yards).

NFL can now review the game clock. Officials are now allowed to review whether a snap got off before game clock reaches zero. If the replay determines that that clock hit zero, then the play won’t count. This rule is ONLY for the game clock and not the PLAY clock, so it will only apply in certain circumstances like the end of a quarter.

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