Packers vote yes on "crown of helmet rule"

http://m.jsonline.com/199192711.htm?page=1
Well that's no surprise seeing as we can't run the football or stop it so it could only benefit us really (Half joking). But really I think this was the most propostoruous rule change imaginable by a person who's never had a lick of nfl let alone football experience in goodell. The hit on defenseless players is one thing but your changing the whole dynamic of running in general.. It's human nature to duck down when being hit or when delivering one.. How is it physically possible to lower your shoulders without lowering your head? How do you break tackles now? Shoot I'm all for it if that means All Day becomes an irrelevant type of back, but your making all power runners dispensable.. The league will be full of Chris Johnson's and lesean mccoys, which Roger might be trying to make it anyway.. They claim that ittl be realitivly easy to officiate.. right, the crew still cant even handle your last rule change.. how in the world do you expect them to play "he did it she did it" with this? It just seems wrong that he has single handedly changed the game more than any previous gm, when in reality he doesn't know squat about this game

The upright runner is back!!! Wait a minute we already have one in Starks!

James Starks...Pro Bowl or bust.

I wrote this on NFL.com in the comment section of the Mike Mayock video response for the rule change:

"It's funny that the opposition being used to this rule is the same that is used in opposition to the similar rule that governs defensive players as well. I agree with the opposition to both as I feel that is has, and will, fundamentally change how the game is played; not for the better mind you. The NFL at this points seems like it has only two major concerns 1) how to ensure the most butts in seats/ tuning in on game days, and 2) how to to avoid as many potential law suits as they can. Honestly I know that Goodell has taken a lot of heat over this issue, and some of it not without merit. But ultimately I think that the blame should be placed properly on the shoulders of former players who brought the lawsuit against the NFL that started this whole mess. There comes a point where you have to take responsibility for your own actions and decisions. That includes a personal and conscious decision to play a violent sport for a living."

Anyone ask Earl Campbell what he thinks about this?

There are a lot of jobs out there that people risk their lives to do every day and they don't get paid like an NFL player. Coal miner, police officer, lineman, farmer, construction worker, oil worker. I don't like this rule.

NFL is all about the money. This sport is getting pussified like soccer.

Harrison Smith had the wittiest comment I've seen on the subject: "Soon everyone will get a trophy for participation."

What a joke this league is becoming. We might as well not even draft a running back. Just beef up the line and pass every down

Blame the lawsuits brought on by the hundreds, nay, thousands of retired players.

Mixed feeling but its for the best. No one should use the crown of the helmet

They had some good quotes from Jim Brown, saying that he always used his shoulder and his forearm but not his head. I honestly think that most people are overreacting to this issue. If you really watch a power runner such as AP, he rarely lowers his head but really uses his shoulder and hands a lot to create separate after contact. Lowering your head is a virtual guarantee for only 1-2 yards as you both tumble to the ground. Keep your head up and moving in the opposite direction after shoulder contact, and you've got a chance for more yards.

This rule isn't changing the game, it's returning it to how the game used to be played. You rarely saw the old guys torpedoing with their helmets. They used stiff-arms (hands), shoulders, and forearms to create contact.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9070081/jim-brown-likes-rule-proposal-emmitt-smith-blasts-it
Here is the article that I mentioned. Of course, it has Emmitt Smith and Eric Dickerson arguing against it:

I think NFL games will now last 4 hours. The personal fouls that will be called will be incredible. The refs will have their hands full. Of course fans can go ballistic on the ones they don't call.

Exactly. Poor money management by former players has them searching for ways to make some big time cash, so why not sue the NFL? You should have saved enough money and invested it and bought your own damn health insurance. There is no excuse for not saving cash when you make tons more than the average joe. You know what you are getting into playing a heavy contact sport, deal with it, suck it up and move on.

To be fair on that point though, players from the 60's, 70's, and before were playing for tens of thousands to a couple hundred thousand, not the millions players have been making since the 90's-ish.

Jim Brown and Erick Dickerson wouldn't even be affected by this rule... They were OK I guess

I agree with you. I think this is going to go 1 of 2 ways: absolute officiating nightmare, or hardly any effect.

Most of the guys with the recent complaints have been 80's and 90's players

The player objections to the rule have a lot less to do with taking away a weapon than:

1) the fear of getting penalized for inadvertent helmet contact and

2) being encouraged to run upright where they cannot protect themselves.

Getting low on contact is good technique...maintain forward momentum, strike with the shoulder pads, protect the knees. Helmets will be involved from time to time, even if unintentional.

Since the penalty does not apply in the tackle box, runners will still want to get low into the second level, so the rule won't change what a runner is supposed to look like. Getting low on contact can't change either...otherwise you might as well put a bulls eye on your knees.

Implementation of this rule should acknowledge the speed of the game and good technique. I would hope the penalty would be reserved for situations where a guy goes head down, straight forward, and something like two steps in advance of contact (akin to the roughing the passer leeway, though that rule's implementation is still inconsistent).

This rule change will have little or no impact on the Packers. We don't have much of a running game and on defense we miss, don't get near or avoid tackling the ball carrier altogether.

I actually like the way the rule is structured. It's already in place in HS football, and nobody has a problem with it there. That being said, Brown is the only RB I've heard approve the rule.

Exactly. And even with the rule in place, players pretty much run the same as they did before the rule. It'll be the same in the NFL. No real effect. It'll only get called in situations where an RB is taking on a LB or safety 1 on 1 and plants the top of his helmet in the guy's chest. I'd be surprised if it gets called more than 10 times all season long.

It'll be called a lot in the preseason and maybe first few weekends as a point of emphasis. After that, it'll be called less often but become a basis for fines.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell was three year star Baseball, Football, and basketball player at Broxville High Schoo l(NY). he was uanble to play college Sports due to injuries, he receive playing sports .

Goddell speaks for the 32 nfl owners. The NFL owners make the rules & Goodell enforces them. Rules committee made up of owners study the injury problem and make recomendations to rules changes to the 32 NFl owners. Then NFL owners voted on the rule changes.

Packer President and CEO Mark Murphy represents the Packers at NFL owners meeting. The Packers have no single owner and he voted for the rule change. Mark Murphy played High School, College and NFL football . Murphy was All Pro safety for Washington Redskins for 9 years.

The NFL has to change some rules of the the game to try to prevent injuries to the player's brain which causes concussions.

Presently there is large group of retired NFL Players suing the NFL in Federal Court contending that
the NFL did not do enough to prevent concusssion of NFL players in the past. If the NFL doesn't do anything about this concussion situation, The Federal Courts or , U.S. congress or U.S. President could step in and act. No one wants that. It could really be messy situation, if that would happen.