2009 Rule Changes and Points of Emphasis

This is my first fanpost and, fair warning, it's a long one.

Earlier this week I had an opportunity to attend a presentation by Mike Pereira, the NFL's Vice President of Officiating, on rule changes and points of emphasis for the coming season, and I thought some of the BTSC readers would be interested in what's new for this season.

I've seen Pereira give this presentation prior to each season for a number of years and I could hardly be more impressed by him. He is truly dedicated to making sure the NFL product is fair and hard-hitting, but also as safe as possible for the players. NFL officials take a lot of knocks from fans, and Pereira would be the first to admit that they don't get every call right, but I'm convinced that if any fan could spend just a half-hour with Mike they would be blown away by his intelligence and his commitment. He has been a great asset to the league and he'll leave huge shoes to fill when he retires after this season. 

Of most interest to Steeler fans is that offensive holding will be a point of emphasis this year. The rule itself has not changed but officials are being instructed to enforce the rule more vigilantly. You may not be aware that over the last three seasons holding penalties have dropped to a 20-year low. Coincidentally or not, in the season following Super Bowl XL and the famous (and correct) holding call on Sean Locklear holding penalties dropped by about 35% and have stayed at that level ever since. Last year an average of barely over one holding penalty was called per team per game. Obviously this point of emphasis has huge implications for the Steelers and I would suggest for Silverback and Woodley specifically it's incredibly good news. I predict we will see at least a 20% increase in holding penalties this year. 

Most of the rule changes this year have been made with player safety in mind. As many of you probably know, blindside blocks to the head or neck are now illegal. This rule is obviously in response to the play last year in which Ward laid out Keith Rivers of the Bengals, and in fact Pereira showed video of that play specifically to make his point. Ward has argued that the change will only lead to players going lower and causing more knee injuries, which is a valid point but the league's position seems to be that they'll accept that as the lesser of two risks.

The hit that knocked Tom Brady out for the year is now illegal, though Pereira took pains to note for what must be the millionth time that it was legal last year. If a defensive player is knocked to the ground and they then lunge at the quarterback, they must either hit him above the knee or swipe at him below the knee. Helmet or shoulder contact below the knee is a penalty. The new rule specifies that it applies to the "passer" so that it also covers running backs throwing out of the Wildcat or on a gadget play.

Bunch formations are now illegal on kickoffs and wedges of more than two players are illegal on kickoff returns, both of which seem like good common sense rules to me. Pereira showed some video of return team guys just getting leveled by bunch formations. They were sitting ducks and had this rule not been changed it was just a matter of time until a player would have been paralyzed on exactly this kind of play.

It's also now illegal to hit a defenseless receiver in the head or neck by leading with your helmet, forearm, or shoulder. Pereira showed video of a series of crushing hits that are now illegal, though tellingly Ryan Clark's demolition of Wes Welker was not among them.

In what I think is an excellent change, a kicking team that is penalized when attempting an onside kick will not be allowed to re-kick. The receiving team will take possession at the out of bounds spot or the spot of the foul. Good move as the old rule effectively rewarded failure by giving teams a second chance to try an onside kick.

Lastly, in a needed response to last year's Week 2 Denver-San Diego debacle, a pass attempt/fumble that is ruled an incomplete pass is now reviewable. Also, on a loose ball that is ruled to have gone out of bounds, the out of bounds ruling is now reviewable. You may remember that in last year's NFC Championship Game there was a kickoff on which the kicking team appeared to recover a loose ball in bounds, but the ball had already been ruled out of bounds and the ruling was not reviewable.

Pereira also handed out a book with many interesting statistics on officiating, including a table showing the total number of penalties called every season since 1990. Notably, penalties per game were at their highest in 2005, then dropped sharply after Super Bowl XL, perhaps reflecting a concern that officials were taking over the game. Last year only 13.25 penalties were called per game, the lowest average in at least two decades. NFL fans are enjoying more penalty-free football and the games are being decided by the players and not the zebras. Good news for everyone.