Every year the NFL reviews and if needed, adds new rules that players must adapt to and learn with safety at an all-time premium and focus of these additions. For 2018, the rules are changing again.
With the broadening of the ‘use of helmet’ rule, no longer can you dip your head to initiate contact to an opponent and it will be heavily watched this year by officials. You will hear the term ‘flat back, helmet down,’ which is strictly a foul in all of football now. The new law of the land will effect defensive players making a tackle, running backs trying to run an opponent over in open field of play, and just about every facet of the game.
The NFL will also focus more this year on offensive pass interference, defensive pass interference and illegal contact.
To better understand the new changes and rules, NFL line judge Julian Mapp met with media at UC Health Training Center on Friday.
“First of all — like any other penalty, we call what we see. Again, the rule states that if you see a player — it can be an offensive player or defensive player — if we see a player lower his head and initiate contact to any part of the opponent’s body, that would be a foul,” Mapp said regarding the new changes to the ‘use of helmet’ rule.
“If we see it, we will flag it. The key, again, is lowering the head and making contact. I know a lot of people think contact has to be in the head or neck area, but the contact can be any part of the body.”
Safety is obviously the top concern for the NFL. Players were diagnosed with more concussions in 2017 than any previous season since the league began data sharing in 2012 with 281 reported concussions during the preseason and regular season combined. That was six higher than the 275 recorded in 2015.
“We’re trying to make this game safer. That’s what we do,” Mapp told Denver media Friday.
But how this rule will be called in multiple facets of the game certainly begins discussion. While easily spotted on the outside between say a cornerback or wide receiver. A much more difficult challenge lies inside the trenches as 300lb+ men battle for leverage.
“If we actually can see the offensive linemen or defensive linemen with their head, lunge like that, that’s a foul. A lot of stuff goes on tackle to tackle, but again, a lot of times you may see it clearer on a tackle pulling or a linebacker coming up into a hole,” Mapp said. “You may see someone lowering his head and making contact. The key is lowering the head and actually delivering a blow.”
Many fans wondered how certain scenarios would play out on the field in the event where duel fouls are committed to each other, like a battering ram slamming into each other helmet led. Mapp says, both will be penalized.
“If you have two guys come in like rams, hitting each other like that, then you can have a foul on both players. What we’re trying to do is definitely make the game safer for the players…The main thing is just trying to make this game safer.”
