What You Need To Know About The New NFL "Rules."

The NFL is king. It's a huge industry that dominates sports sometimes even during the off-season. For millions of fans, February to August is unbearably long, and we can't wait for the preseason to come. Then it comes, and we remember how awful it is. This year, though, is different. It's really, really unwatchably awful.

We were warned going into this preseason that officials would focus on illegal contact and defensive holding. Both are already penalties, but when they didn't affect the outcome of the play, in seasons past, the refs kept the flag in their pocket. Not this year.



Through week 2 of the preseason, penalties have nearly doubled over the 
regular season last year, about 24 per game compared to 13 per game. A good portion of these have been defensive holds and illegal contact. 

Fans like scoring, I get it. But can we make offenses earn it? Quarterbacks are untouchable. 6'4" 220 pound wide receivers are, apparently, almost always "defenseless" against much smaller defensive banks. And now we're handing out first downs for illegal contact 40 yards away from the play? Passing numbers are already at all time highs. Maybe Godell will eliminate running the ball altogether next. That'd certainly cut down the number of concussions, right Roger?

A lot was made during the off-season about extra points being too automatic. For the first two weeks of the preseason, PATS have been moved back to make them 33 yards. They were too easy, so they made them harder. Isn't passing the ball a little too easy right now?

Of course, Jimmy Graham took advantage of another rules change Saturday. He caught two TD passes and dunked the ball over the goal post both times, resulting in 30 yards in penalties and $30,000 in fines. The reasoning for this rule? Well, one Graham exposed the poor construction of the goal post in Atlanta last year. Two, these celebrations slow the game down, and there's no time for that with all the extra penalties. But most importantly, players can't taunt opposing defenses. Only the NFL and its rules changes are allowed to do that.

The NFL is saying all of these rules changes are still being evaluated. I'd like to believe them. If defensive penalties are going to be called with this frequency, the automatic first down must be removed, at least. Oh, and Jimmy, quit dunking the ball over the goalpost. No one's impressed.

Josh Henderson

T: @verybadwrong