Drew Brees tweets 3 rule changes he wants the NFL to make (1 Viewer)

[DaveXA]

I don't like the bastageization of football the college OT does.

For the NFL OT rules I think the simplest solution is you just play a full 10 minute quarter for OT after that it remains a tie.

If it's a play off game and it's still tied after 10 then you go to the current OT rules.

Yeah, I can see that, but I don't even think we have to play out the 10 minutes. Just ensure both teams get 1 possession then the next score wins the game. Seems easy enough to me.

 

[TomThomster7]

But then...


One thing that compromises the integrity of the game, is having no players to field a competitive team because a bunch of them are out with concussions and torn ACL's.

But maybe I don't know what you mean by "integrity"...

I expected this point to be brought up.
By "integrity", I mean the traditional old-fashioned style of football without the influx of rules.
If you don't agree that the ton of rules over the last decade and more has inhibited the pure style of football that used to exist, and caused frustration to fans and players alike, I would be surprised.
Again - we all hate injuries.
Football players put their well-being on the line every time they step on the field - during a game and even at practice.
A "simple" tackle can end a players season.
I would not encourage my son to play football.
I am happy that NFL players get good salaries, and believe some should get more.
No NFL player should get less than 1 million a year. And that seems unfair.
I still see players putting hits on opponents that are unnecessary.
Some of these guys need to remember that they are playing against human beings.
Football is a violent sport, needless to say, and common sense by the players needs to be added to their skills.
I respect no other sports participant more than a football player.
Rugby players don't count - those guys are truly crazy.
To sum it up, the thrill I have had since the 60's from watching football is now tempered with the dread of the unavoidable "bad call", which happens more than once in just about any game. College or pros.
Because of the ridiculous amount of new rules put into the game, the NFL has become the NotFairLeague [ for both the teams and the fans ] .
But man do I still love watching the games.
This season's playoffs have rewarded the dedicated NFL viewer in a big way.
And with or without the nail-biting finishes, football is an amazing sport to watch.

 

[VPCajun]

I agree with all of that. With the roughing, the devil is gonna be in the details. There's a lot of elements to it. And I agree on protecting WRs. Every time I see a low hit, makes me cringe. And yep, OT both teams get a possession at minimum, but rather not go to CFB OT rules.

My "compromise":

Regular season, keep as is (Ties are allowed.);

Post season, both teams get 2 possessions.

And just for fun, Ties are allowed in the Post Season and both teams advance...

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

Another thing...if the quarterback feels good enough to smile after a roughing call...maybe he wasn't roughed

 

[Cbarra87]

Bring the game back to it's early days.
The game is too regulated.
The refs have too much influence in the outcome of games due to the overabundance of rules that allow for subjectivity on their part.
I care for the players as much as the next guy.
I hate seeing injuries. But injuries are going to happen.
When rules are implemented to penalize hits to the knees and head, the integrity of the game is compromised.
We are witnessing that now.
How many times have we seen a "roughing the passer" penalty called when a hand brushes the QB's head, or when a tackler lands at his feet or thigh?
Or when the defender is blocked into the QB's knee, or close to it, yet the ref calls the penalty?
The same situation exists for hitting the receiver "from the knee down".
Again - no one wants a receiver, or any player, to get hurt.
But to limit where a player can hit the opposing player to tackle him [ except for obvious targeting to the head or knee ] makes the traditional game of football obsolete, and puts too much influence into the hands of the officials.

And Stalwart385's statement on PI penalties is valid.
I don't like review of plays for PI because of how much it slows the game down, but this situation comes down to the integrity of the refs. And their training.
The NFL doesn't want to stop the spot foul rule for PI because defenders will interfere with the receivers more often, especially on deep pass plays, thus avoiding a big gain.
I'm not sure how justified this reasoning is.
I have some reservations.

To your last point. A possible solution would be to make repeated PI by the same player an ejectable offense. I.E. You have a DB that keeps dragging a WR down when he is beat, he gets away with a 15 yard penalty once, but he does it again, flagrantly, he's out. Obviously there is nuance here, and it may not be that cut and dry, but individual consequences would straighten some of this up. You could also impose fines on PI calls. Lots of ways to incentivize clean play without basically giving free completions. A penalty that results in a 55 yard gain is absolute BS.

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

I have no problem with the spot foul....what I don't like is referees bailing out QBs for poorly thrown balls, it's as if they don't even take catchable into consideration anymore.

It's hard enough to run 20-22mph downfield trailing a WR on a go route....now you expect them to stop on a dime to defend a grossly underthrown deep ball that the receiver suddenly stopped to come back to? That's impossible

 

[DaveXA]

I have no problem with the spot foul....what I don't like is referees bailing out QBs for poorly thrown balls, it's as if they don't even take catchable into consideration anymore.

It's hard enough to run 20-22mph downfield trailing a WR on a go route....now you expect them to stop on a dime to defend a grossly underthrown deep ball that the receiver suddenly stopped to come back to? That's impossible

Yeah, I've seen far too many calls where a ball is thrown a mile away from the receiver and PI is still called. Makes no sense.

 

[TomThomster7]

To your last point. A possible solution would be to make repeated PI by the same player an ejectable offense. I.E. You have a DB that keeps dragging a WR down when he is beat, he gets away with a 15 yard penalty once, but he does it again, flagrantly, he's out. Obviously there is nuance here, and it may not be that cut and dry, but individual consequences would straighten some of this up. You could also impose fines on PI calls. Lots of ways to incentivize clean play without basically giving free completions. A penalty that results in a 55 yard gain is absolute BS.

Putting the game more into the control of the players is the ultimate goal.
This entails taking away from the refs some of their arsenal of penalties.
Football is a game of centimeters and milliseconds.
Reffing certainly has its challenges.
But that's why the game needs professional officials. Not in name only, but in the amount of time the referrees spend in training.

 

[SaintsBrazil]

My overtime preference. Each team gets one possession. If the score is still tied, each team gets 3 extra point/conversion attempts, if still tied, sudden death extra point/conversion attempts.

 

[Zztop]

Even Andy is in favor of a change:

Even winning coach Andy Reid questions NFL's overtime setup

Even the winning coach, in this case Andy Reid, is questioning the NFL's overtime setup. One day after Reid's Chiefs won the OT coin toss, then marched downfield for Travis Kelce's 8-yard touchdown reception to end an epic divisional round game with Buffalo, Reid recognized how fortunate...

apnews.com

“I had a chance to talk with [Bills coach Sean McDermott] afterward, and that I’m sure is something they’re going to look at again too,” Reid said Monday, via The Associated Press. “And I wouldn’t be opposed to it, it’s a hard thing. It was great for us last night, but is it great for the game which is probably the most important thing we should all be looking out for?

“To make things equal, it probably needs to be able to hit both offenses, both defenses.”

 

[sbford]

Another thing...if the quarterback feels good enough to smile after a roughing call...maybe he wasn't roughed

LOL, excellent point. I'd say for it to be roughing, the QB must have at least been knocked to the ground. Even though we've benefitted from a few, it's ridiculous to get a roughing call because a fingertip grazed the top of a helmet while trying to knock the ball down. If a helmet can't protect the QB from a few errant fingers, why wear them?