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“NFL-Decision Makers-Dummies”

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How do all these rich people continue to do well, when time and time again they make bad decisions, mistakes.

Pick a crisis in the NFL right now, and it likely was born out of the leadership of different factions in the NFL.

The latest, the emergency conference call that will take place on Wednesday morning in New York, involving the Competition Committee.

Back in March, they decided to upgrade, change, put teeth into the helmet rule.

Two years ago they put into place significant penalties for people who hit others with the crown of their helmet. It was an attempt to control the concussion crisis in the NFL.

Lead with the crown of the helmet, hit the other guys helmet, you get a 15-yard penalty, and possibly an ejection.

The rule worked, with helmet hits, and helmet hits on defenseless penalties lowered.

They added flags for blowing up ‘defenseless’ receivers but the gray area of trying to dislodge the ball has been confused with unloading on players.

This summer they changed the kick off return rules for the second time in two years, trying to take the concussions out of that aspect of the game. No running starts for kick cover teams, no wedge blocks, limits on outside gunners etc.

But then this spring, the NFL took another step, saying if you hit an opponent’s helmet with any portion of the helmet, crown-front-or side, it’s a major penalty.

Still despite best efforts, NFL was alarmed for in 2017, concussions went up to 291-last year.

The first weekend of the NFL pre-season, a record 275 penalties worth (2,371-yards) were called. Included were 37-helmet penalties. The outcry was amazing that there were too many blown calls. Replays showed 17 of the flags should have never been thrown.

Upon further review, the NFL refs have their hands full. They’re throwing flags now on any type of helmet-to-helmet hit, some intentional, a bunch accidental.

The game is so fast, with players body angles changing in flights, even incidental contact is drawing a flag.

Coaches are wondering what is the true rule? Players are screaming what is a legal tackle? NFL refs wonder, is it impossible to police?

Running backs leading sweeps put their head down, resulting in helmet contact with a defender, nets a flag. Defenders trying to stop those backs, get flagged too for helmet hits.

Defenders diving for players to make tackles, who make helmet to helmet contact, draw a flag, in in the open field..

The game is so fast, that the theory of making tackles with a proper posture, cannot be executed, much less policed properly.

Don’t lead with your head, but if you are diving to make a shoulder tackle, your head is out front of you. If the ball carriers move or dips, heads collide.

Don’t use your helmet as a weapon. so far there are still players doing that, but not as often. Now the great debate is ‘intent-vs-accident’.

Now the committee will reconvene. Do they streamline the call, and mandate flags only for crown of helmet hits? Do they make it a judgmental call, citing incidental contact? Do they allow instant replay ‘a ref in the booth’ to order a review? Does it lead to more game stoppages and delays?

The NFL keeps doing things that lead to big debates, and questions about credibility.

Once they solve this helmet rule, just 2-weeks before the start of the season, a mess they created, they’ll have to get back to the National Anthem debate, and we know who created that mess?

The NFL had to re-define the ‘what is a catch’ rule, especially since decisions really impacted playoff teams.

Hits on quarterbacks, blows to the knees, pancakes hits on guys in the pocket, have all been put into place, with controversial results, and still a lot of subjectivity and uncertainty.

NFL owners, rich people, and the smart people on the competition committee, are really under fire.

No solution in sight yet, but changes likely coming, before we start the season right after Labor Day weekend.

NFL decision makers sure come off as dummies overtime they make a decision on rules don’t they?

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