NFL rule change designed to slow down teams is awful news for the Dolphins

The NFL believes that some teams are cheating, and because of that, they have tweaked one pre-snap rule that will attempt to slow down teams like the Miami Dolphins.

Per ProFootballTalk.com, the league passed an amendment to what was termed "Speed Motion." The rule change now states that, "Any eligible backfield player who changes his stance does not have to come to a complete stop prior to the snap, as long as his actions are not abrupt or forward."

Mike Florio of PFT cites a source who says this is aimed at teams like the Dolphins, who use "split-second forward movement" before the snap of the ball.

"It definitely allows us to catch the defense off guard in many ways,” Hill told reporters last September. It definitely gives us an advantage."

- Tyreek Hill via ProFootballTalk

What this rule change will mean for the Dolphins and Tyreek Hill

The new rule is going to be hard to govern, but we can expect more false starts and illegal motion penalties called on the Dolphins this year. The entire offensive passing game and the run game are predicated on speed and motion diversion. Now, guys like Hill and Jaylen Waddle will need to slow down or pause before taking off upfield.

Hill has developed a great habit of building up speed while in motion in the backfield. At the snap, he turns upfield in stride, which is hard for defenders to cover. The new rule will force the Dolphins to get the ball off before a player in motion can make that turn or extend the motion to the snap.

One way to combat this is for the motion player to turn upfield only when he sees the outside WR move. That would signify to the motion player that the ball has been snapped. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Mike McDaniel adjusts his offense for what is literally a half-second advantage. The "Tush Push" however, seems to be perfectly acceptable.