Proposed NFL rule changes for 2021 that actually make sense

The NFL will soon be voting on league rule changes and if there is one thing we know about the NFL it is that simple isn’t always better. For the NFL, simple isn’t always a road that is traveled often.

Over the years we still continue to wonder who comes up with some of these ideas and then wonder more as to why some common sense rules don’t get passed but we still don’t know what defines a reception. This year, some rules actually make sense or at least are smart. Which of course means they won’t pass.

Overtime

Overtime has been fiddled with over the years and has decreased from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. This year, the committee will vote on the elimination of overtime in the pre-season. I have always wondered why they ever had OT in the pre-season. It serves zero purposes. They don’t get more money from fans or networks and the players risk injury.

Knees

The competition committee wants to eliminate blocking below the waist and over the years they have done a pretty decent job of eliminating these types of blocks along the line of scrimmage. Now they are going after the same blocks away from the LOS. A competition committee proposal will make it a penalty for any player offense or defense to block below the waist five yards up or downfield and outside of the tackle.

Not opposed to this type of rule. Players should not have to worry about having their knees taken out and this will prevent injuries without changing the game too much, unlike, you know, the lowering the head contact rule.

No kick-off?

This won’t pass but if the NFL wants to get away from kick-off return injuries, they will have to eliminate kick-offs altogether. At some point in time, they will eventually but not yet. This proposal has been around a few years now and that is the option to go with a 4th and 15 type scenario from a team’s 25-yard line in lieu of an onside kick attempt.

If there is one thing we have learned over the course of recent rule changes to onside kick attempts, is that the NFL has set it up to make it near impossible to actually get a successful attempt. Considering that it can still be a success, no matter how infrequent, the NFL is likely not going to change this one for a while.