The Golden Trident

By Aidan Owens

Photo Courtesy of NFL.com  

The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular league in the U.S. So why are there rules being implemented that are changing the game for the worse? 

To the average fan it seems players like Patrick Mahomes are getting bailed out by referees with wild roughing the passer calls. Although all the blame is being placed on Mahomes, overall it is the league’s fault for making these rules. Roughing the passer is a penalty that seems to have gotten out of hand in the past couple of years. It puts the defense at an almost unfair advantage as they struggle to know what exactly not to do. There have been many instances where the quarterback has barely just released the ball and the defenders hits him and roughing the passer was called. As a defender who is coming full speed at the quarterback are not going to be able to stop all 300 pounds on a dime. Everyone knows that quarterbacks are the money makers and faces of the league, but the defense needs to have the ability to not get flagged every time they touch them. 

Another crucial play that allows game changing and epic comebacks are the recovery of onsides kicks. Recovering an onside kick allows for games to be interesting, with amazing headlines that the NFL craves. Having to declare that you are doing an onside kick and then acutely recovering it makes it almost impossible for any comebacks to happen. Right now in the league this year there have only been three recovered out of 50 attempted. That is a 6% chance of a team actually recovering an onside kick according to CBS Sports. Instead there has been talks about allowing the team who is losing to start with the ball at their own 20 yard line at 4th and 15. If the team is able to convert the 4th down they will just continue their drive and if not the opposing teams will get the ball on offense of their own 30 yard line. This will allow for a thrilling play to try and keep the comeback alive. Converting a 4th and 15 is still improbable, but it will allow for a better chance for the team losing to call their best play in order to try and get the first down. This will create a lot more opportunities for comebacks, while also allowing a nail biting play with a higher chance of converting than a 6% chance of getting an onside kick. 

The NFL has also implemented some rule changes that have actually been good for the game. The new dynamic kickoff is a lot better than the traditional way of doing kickoffs. With the traditional way there were way too many touchbacks making it seem like there was no reason to even have the kickoff and every team should have just started with the ball on their own 20 yard line. 

However, with the new dynamic kickoffs it has allowed for a lot more strategy to be involved with how that team should kickoff the ball. With the dynamic kickoff on a touchback the opposing team gets the ball at their own 30 yard line instead of their own 20. Instead of just kicking a touchback, many teams have allowed for the return of these kickoffs with the thought that they will be able to tackle the returner way before he reaches the 30 yard line. This rule change has created a lot more interest in kickoffs instead of just the boring old way of constant touchbacks.

Overall, football is a sport that all Americans know and watch on Sunday’s during the fall. The NFL is the biggest sports league in the entire world and they need to remember what gets them there. Rules like roughing the passer and the onside kick are causing a lull in the game. While rules like the new dynamic kickoff are pushing the game in the right direction, leading to more excitement and strategy to be evolved. Football needs to continue to get better and better for fans to be able to continue to enjoy the game that has been loved for years.