Did the helmet rule really work? And the way will it change in 2019?
Kevin SeifertNFL Nation
CloseESPN.com nationwide NFL author
ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013
Coated Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008
Practically each week between August and February, the NFL picks a handful of officiating calls to focus on in an internet media video. The primary installment, distributed final Friday, led off not with the much-talked-about cross interference opinions, however fairly with two examples of the helmet rule in motion throughout the Aug. 1 Corridor of Fame recreation.
The primary occasion went uncalled by officers on the sphere. The second, in accordance with senior vice chairman of officiating Al Riveron, was flagged incorrectly.
With public consideration targeted on the current addition of cross interference to replay evaluation, the NFL remains to be attempting to determine the way to administer it after final yr’s officiating debacle. The helmet rule — prohibiting gamers from decreasing their helmets to provoke contact with an opponent — is one in all two factors of emphasis for 2019, which means officers have been requested to pay particular consideration to it. There’s an expectation that it will likely be enforced extra tightly on the sphere, however the issue concerned with fulfilling that process makes the helmet rule one of the vital enigmatic NFL edicts in current reminiscence.
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“There’s an adjustment interval concerned, and everybody is aware of it,” stated competitors committee chairman Wealthy McKay. “These gamers did not play with this rule for a very long time, which means their whole profession. There’s an adjustment interval for on-field officers. We’re assured that … they’re going to get higher at it as they search for it extra. However on the similar time, we’re assured that we will see much less of those fouls as a result of gamers are going to be extra snug with it.”
The NFL wrote off conventional enforcement of the rule in its 2018 debut, an unprecedented determination that led to solely 19 flags in 256 video games. The league did, nevertheless, difficulty 28 fines and 139 warning letters to gamers who had generally dedicated fouls that went uncalled. That discrepancy, whereas preferable to a flood of penalties, known as into query the integrity of the sport and prompted honest questions on whether or not the rule was merely unenforceable lip service to the league’s well being and security equipment.
The 2019 season ought to reply these considerations, someway. Officers got an offseason examine information to assist them determine violations “to higher acknowledge when gamers provoke helmet contact,” referee Adrian Hill stated. Gamers and coaches, in the meantime, have heard the mantra now for 15 months.
On this week’s video, Al Riveron explains Use of the Helmet (UOH) – a foul that happens if a participant lowers his head to provoke and make contact together with his helmet towards an opponent. For the total clarification, go to: https://t.co/2C6En79afN. pic.twitter.com/bUJmXfBrTv
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) August 9, 2019
“It is a violent recreation,” stated Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy, “however we as coaches have to have the ability to educate tackling the proper means, and that is preserving your head and helmet up.”
However the annual flood of younger gamers into the league calls for fixed vigilance and reiteration; the helmet rule is completely different from something at another degree of soccer. Gamers have at all times been coached to hit with their heads up however had been by no means penalized in the event that they did not and thus had little on-field incentive to keep away from decreasing the helmet.
2 Associated
When the rule was introduced, many gamers predicted there can be cases when decreasing the helmet was unavoidable. The NFL initiated a common guidelines alignment initiative final season, designed to introduce related guidelines from Pop Warner via highschool and faculty, however it will likely be years earlier than these efforts manifest in gamers getting into the NFL.
Within the meantime, we might proceed to see performs comparable to these highlighted in final week’s NFL video. Within the first, Denver Broncos security Will Parks lowered his helmet and hit Atlanta Falcons operating again Brian Hill within the hip together with his helmet. The contact, which came about in the midst of the road and was clearly seen solely from an finish zone view, went unpenalized.
The second occasion was extra apparent however nonetheless went incorrectly adjudicated. Referee Walt Anderson’s crew flagged Hill for decreasing his helmet to hit Broncos security Dymonte Thomas after a run down the proper sideline. Riveron stated the decision on Hill was appropriate, however demonstrated that Thomas additionally had lowered his head to provoke contact and will have been penalized as nicely.
There was a complete of 5 flags thrown for violations of the helmet rule within the first 17 video games of the preseason — a a lot slower tempo than the chaotic 2018 preseason, however greater than the common of 1.1 per week throughout the common season. The continued focus, nevertheless, is just not merely a way to align enforcement with habits. The NFL additionally believes that the mere introduction of the rule modified habits in 2018.
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Based on league knowledge, concussions involving a participant who lowered his head to provoke contact decreased by 20% in 2018 in comparison with 2017. A participant decreasing his head was nonetheless concerned in about 50% of all concussions from helmet-to-helmet contact, and general, 40% of all concussions nonetheless concerned some sort of helmet-to-helmet contact in 2018.
“That’s one knowledge level and it’s one yr,” stated Jeff Miller, the NFL’s government vice chairman of well being and security initiatives. “That isn’t numerous data. [But] helmet-to-helmet contact inflicting concussions, that quantity is 20% decrease than it was a yr in the past. So that’s optimistic factor. There’s clearly much more to do in that area. That’s one thing that was very fascinating to the competitors committee as they proceed to push and make an emphasis on this level. So that may be a instructing level, a player-adoption level, a culture-change level, and a great one.”
The NFL’s efforts on this area have examined its capability to leverage a reliable security initiative towards habits that’s genuinely troublesome to vary with a rule that’s objectively exhausting to officiate. The league basically punted on the primary season and is taking a long-term strategy. However what number of years will it take to get there? Progress in 2019, outlined by extra applicable officiating, is important to getting there.