Philadelphia Eagles players throw the challenge flag on new helmet rule

Confusion about the NFL’s new helmet rule has some of the Philadelphia Eagles up in arms.

It’s a theory that’s been debated ever since the NFL began making conscious efforts to make the game of football a little safer. How do you weigh player safety against the fear of some fans and players that football may be losing some of its’ competitive fire? After all, football is supposed to be a contact game, isn’t it? Recently, that same debate came into play when NFL officials visited the Philadelphia Eagles at the Novacare Complex.

The reason for the visit was to provide some understanding on some of the rule changes for the upcoming season, namely what constitutes a catch, how kickoffs are supposed to look and hits that are made when leading with the helmet.

The latter rule now states that any contact initiated by an offensive or defensive player that intentionally leads with his helmet will result in a personal foul penalty. That apparently got several of the guys on defense going.

What constitutes a foul now? It’s like those confusing catch rules but worse.

Reading something like that would make the casual or die-hard fan wonder. That probably means Malcolm Jenkins‘ aggressive hit on New England Patriots receiver Brandin Cooks in Super Bowl LII would draw a flag now. Then, there’s another thought. Would LeGarrette Blount‘s touchdown run in the NFC Championship Game be seen as illegal?

Two of Philly’s leaders on defense offered their thoughts. Here’s what starting linebacker Nigel Bradham had to say on the subject. Thank ESPN staff writer Tim McManus for the quotes:

"We were trying to ask questions to get a better understanding, and yet they couldn’t really give us an answer. They couldn’t give us what we were looking for."

Jenkins, who’s never been shy about aggressive play offered his own theory:

"I’m going to make that play 10 times out of 10. If it’s a flag, it’s a flag. You can’t slow yourself down thinking about rules in a split second. The game happens really, really fast, faster than the rules, I think, take account for, but I won’t let it affect the way I play."

One can probably assume that fines will also follow. Expect this to be a topic of discussion all season. The NFL seems to have done a good job in clearing up what a catch is and it isn’t, but in terms of this, we may have traded one confusing rule for another.

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.