The NFL owners meetings are still going on and they are adding changes on how to make our beloved sport a better one. But I'm starting to wonder how many changes do they need to make before it starts to look "soft"?

First there is the dubbed "Hines Ward" rule that doesn't allow players to throw blind-sided blocks to the head of a defender using his helmet, forearm or shoulder. Now, I'm not totally against this. I've seen some players get taken out by such vicious hits. Remember what Hines did to Keith Rivers?? Ouch!


But one can say that Ward was simply blocking for his teammate Matt Spaeth and it was a legal hit. No matter what we think, a 15 yard penalty will be enforced if such plays like Ward's hit happens.

While I understand they want to protect a defenseless player, where was this rule when Warren Sapp laid the wood on Packers OL Chad Clifton??? If we are gonna call Ward out, let's call the other guilty ones out. I remember that play like it was yesterday, and I thought it was far more vicious than most blocks Ward has thrown. Yet nearly 7 years after that incident, someone wants to make changes. Yeah, okay..... (note: Sorry for laughing BUT.......remember when Sapp told former Packers coach Mike Sherman to put a jersey on? The funniest 30 second dialogue in football.)


The owners also came up with what is dubbed as the "Tom Brady" Rule. This rule says that defenders who are knocked to the ground no longer can lunge into quarterbacks if the play is still going on. We all saw what Bernard Pollard did to Tom Brady.


But it was a legal hit and Pollard was playing until the whistlewas blown.

I can remember during the 2005 playoffs, Bengals QB Carson Palmer took a hit from Steelers NT Kimo von Oelhoffen that was deemed more controversial than Brady's hit. Funny.... I don't remember many owners coming to Palmers rescue.


(note: the comments in the clip are NOT those of the NFL Chick. But my guess is not many folks care about Palmer's injury so finding the clip was scarce)

While people questioned von Oelhoffen's hit (which, I didn't have too much of a problem with), I didn't hear much of a fuss regarding Brady's hit. Why all of a sudden, do folks want to take an extra effort to prevent this from happening?

I understand they want to keep "football safe", but how safe is football, really?! It's a contact sport, so injuries happen all of the time. Some illegal and intentional, others with no malice and by accident. What does changing these rules do?

I'll give you my opinion. Changing these rules does damage to the game of football because 1. it takes the physical aspect out of the sport and dilutes it. Players know the risk they take every time they step on the field. Fans love to see a good, clean hit. So when you start to eliminate such important parts of a game, it makes it look washed up.

The 2nd issue to changing the rules is, it's allows referees to have way too much control regarding to how games are called. We saw last year what happens when refs get too involved in games (Remember the Pittsburgh-Baltimore and San Diego-Denver games?????). They now have to worry about micro managing the game, which is not a great idea. The less the the zbras are involved, the better. I can't wait to see how this will work out in the upcoming season. Well... actually, I can wait.... and I'll be the first to tell you it will suck.

Is the NFL doing the right thing by creating these rules, or are they creating a softer league? Can you imagine what Jack Tatum, Dick Butkus and the Steel Curtain players are saying to these changes???


I'd love to know myself, but my guess is, they think it's becoming too cupcake for folks to stand.

I, for one, think so.