2016 rule changes

[CGI_Ram]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/07/04/nfl-posts-the-2016-rule-book-online/

Before you complain about the officials this season, you’ll want to make sure you actually know the rules. Fortunately, the NFL has published the entire 217-page rule book online. Unfortunately, it’s only accessible to those of us with media access.

Although the league should make the rule book available publicly to fans, we’ll summarize for you the most noteworthy part of the rule book, which is on Page 2, where it identifies the changes to the rules this year. Those include:

1. It is now a delay of game penalty if a team is erroneously granted a timeout.

2. The offensive and defensive play callers can use the coach-to-helmet communications system regardless of whether the coach is in the booth or on the sideline.

3. There is no longer a five-yard penalty for illegally touching a pass after being out of bounds and then re-establishing inbounds, but it is a loss of down.

4. The line of scrimmage for extra point kicks is permanently the 15-yard line.

5. Touchbacks on kickoffs are now moved to the 25-yard line.

6. All chop blocks are illegal.

7. The horse-collar tackle rule now includes a defender grabbing the jersey at the name plate or above.

8. A player who gets two fouls for certain kinds of unsportsmanlike conduct is automatically ejected.

9. Multiple spots of enforcement for a double foul after a change of possession have been eliminated.

 

[Florida_Ram]

Keeps those Refs

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/07/04/nfl-posts-the-2016-rule-book-online/

Before you complain about the officials this season, you’ll want to make sure you actually know the rules. Fortunately, the NFL has published the entire 217-page rule book online. Unfortunately, it’s only accessible to those of us with media access.

Although the league should make the rule book available publicly to fans, we’ll summarize for you the most noteworthy part of the rule book, which is on Page 2, where it identifies the changes to the rules this year. Those include:

1. It is now a delay of game penalty if a team is erroneously granted a timeout.

2. The offensive and defensive play callers can use the coach-to-helmet communications system regardless of whether the coach is in the booth or on the sideline.

3. There is no longer a five-yard penalty for illegally touching a pass after being out of bounds and then re-establishing inbounds, but it is a loss of down.

4. The line of scrimmage for extra point kicks is permanently the 15-yard line.

5. Touchbacks on kickoffs are now moved to the 25-yard line.

6. All chop blocks are illegal.

7. The horse-collar tackle rule now includes a defender grabbing the jersey at the name plate or above.

8. A player who gets two fouls for certain kinds of unsportsmanlike conduct is automatically ejected.

9. Multiple spots of enforcement for a double foul after a change of possession have been eliminated.

Every Year we get a few interesting new rules... I'm okay with all of these new ones.

 

[den-the-coach]

@CGI_Ram can you please send your post to Jerome Boger please!

 

[KNUCKLEHEAD]

http://deadspin.com/new-touchback-rule-designed-to-reduce-number-of-kickoff-1766603355

New Touchback Rule Designed To Reduce Number Of Kickoff Returns May Actually Increase Them

By Barry Petchesky

Among the two new rules passed today by the fiat of NFL owners—over the overwhelming objections of coaches—is one that will move touchbacks up five yards, with teams now starting from their own 25. This move is specifically designed with player safety in mind. It may well have the opposite effect.

Kickoffs are the most dangerous type of play in football, with 22 players crashing into each other from running starts. And injuries on kickoffs were up in 2015, according to the NFL, with concussions making up part of that increase. That’s bad for player health, and bad for NFL PR, and everyone assumes there’ll come a day when kickoffs are eliminated altogether. Until then, the league wants to reduce the number of kickoff returns. That’s why they moved kickoffs up to the 35-yard-line six years ago.

So: the touchback solution. The logic makes sense at first glance. If a ball is kicked into—but not through—the end zone, the returner has to make a decision: take the ball out, or kneel. With the average kickoff return sitting somewhere shy of 23 yards (this is complicated by including the yardage within the end zone), it often made sense for a returner to try his luck, figuring he could get farther than the 20. Now if kneeling puts the offense on the 25, returners may be less willing to run the ball out.

(Note that this ignores the irrational illogic of many kickoff returners. You could pin Cordarrelle Patterson in the very back corner of his end zone, with every opposing player having shed their blocks bearing down on him, and he’d think I can take this to the house.)

Here’s the big problem: if moving up the touchback discourages receiving teams from returning a kick, it incentivizes forcing opponents to return the ball. Now the math is no longer in favor of booming a kick out the back of the end zone. Now the math says you should put it in play and force them to bring it back.

Giving the offense the ball on the 25 on a touchback could lead to kickoff teams trying more “mortar” kicks with distance sacrificed for hang time. Two veteran special teams coordinators told the Tribune they believe it will lead more teams to instruct the kickers to get as much hang time as possible while landing the ball near the goal line in an effort to cover a kick and pin the offense inside the 25 or even inside the 20.

These high, booming kicks will also set up coverage teams to be in better position to make a hit sooner—so much for player safety.

“Return teams are looking for reasons to come out (of the end zone),” one coordinator said. “And kickoff teams are going to hit the ball to the goal line and hope to tackle the returner inside the 20. You watch, they’re going to get more returns this season because you don’t want to give anyone the ball at the 25.”

“They’re going to get the reverse of what they want,” another coordinator said. “There’s way too much difference in field position.”

We will see: this is something easily trackable. And the new rule is on a one-year trial basis, so they can just scrap it if it has the opposite effect. It’s certainly worth a shot.

 

[HellRam]

The new touchback rule is really unnecessary IMO. How they continue to come up with idea's that don't improve the game will be something I will never understand.

 

[Psycho_X]

What the article above says is what I was going to post which is it now makes sense for teams to try and lob a kickoff around the goal line instead of through it. Unless of course the opposing team has a stellar kick returner. But seems like you'd want to try your luck more with not kicking it for a touchback. Will have to see, overall just seems like a pointless rule change. Just eliminate the kickoff if you're that concerned about it. Coaches will always try and do whatever gives them the better yardage statistically. Just eliminate the need to try and work around it at this point.

 

[rdw]

They should move the kick off location from the 35 back to the old spot to reduce the booming kicks or just eliminate the kickoff altogether. Heck, why not give the receiving team a choice. They can:
A. Start at the 20 with no kick or
B. Run the ball back from the middle of the end zone after giving the kicking team a x-second head start.

 

[LesBaker]

Stop letting players take a running start and injuries will decrease.

 

[snackdaddy]

The new kickoff rule will be interesting. I always thought the goal of the kicking team was to prevent them from getting past the 20 and the goal of the return team was to get it past the 20. So how many teams will try and kick it short enough for a return? Maybe they shoulda moved the ball back to the 30 and returners would be more likely to take the touchback if it reaches the endzone.