NFL’s “Use of the Helmet” Rule, Broken Down

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NFL

The Helmet Rule – Football 101: Tackling The Game

This past March, the NFL instated a new rule known colloquially as “the helmet rule.” Since it’s inception, heated debates have surrounded its meaning and potential effects.

So, What is the Actual Rule?

Helmets are for protection, not defense. (Use your head kid, but not like that)

The “Use of the Helmet” rule designates any tackle where “a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent” as a foul. According to the NFL, the sole purpose of the helmet is to protect the head of the player. The helmet is not to be used as a defensive instrument (using it to break or make a tackle). This rule attempts to restrict the latter from happening.

Picture a runner crossing a finish line. The helmet cannot be the item that breaks the ribbon. Instead, the hands or shoulder pads must cross first — aka, be the area that is creating contact. The head should be as close to upright as possible.

What Are The Respective Penalties?

15 yards with a potential for a 1st down. Oh, and a side of ejection.

If an offensive player commits the foul, the offense will lose 15 yards. If a defensive player is flagged, the offense gains 15 yards and receives an automatic first down. Players also face ejection from a game for the following:

• A player lowers his helmet to establish a linear body posture prior to initiating and making contact with the helmet
• Does so with an unobstructed path to his opponent
• Does so when contact is clearly avoidable and the player delivering the blow had other options.

In summation, players will face ejection if it appears they intentionally lowered their helmet in order to create a harsher impact without reason.

To put that in more digestible terms: if a player dive-tackles leading with his head, he faces ejection from the game. Additionally, if a player lowers his head to make contact with another player on purpose to deliver a greater hit when he had other means of tackling him/breaking a tackle, that is also reason for ejection. It is yet to be seen what fines will be handed out for breaking the rule.

What Is The Purpose Of The Rule?

Fewer helmet-to-helmet contact equals fewer concussions, equals greater player safety.

The NFL has come under growing scrutiny as the prevalence of concussions and research on their effects have deveoped. Just last season alone, there were 281 reported concussions. The actual number is presumably much higher, as most concussions go unreported accordingly to retired players’ testimony. Tied to the concerns about concussions is also the growing fear surrounding CTE.

CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a disease caused by multiple traumas to the head causing protein clumps known as Tau to form — which, in turn, kills brain cells. It is currently only possible to diagnose someone with CTE after death. Several active and retired players have expressed concern for their own health in light of studies conducted on the brains of former players. The league, in response, has met with medical professionals in attempts to ensure player safety. The “use of the helmet” rule is one of the largest preventative measures the NFL has taken.

So, What’s The Problem?

Even Gruden’s Confused.

Arguably the largest problem is the ambiguous nature of the rule itself, which has created confusion for players. When men of their size and speed are crashing into each other, hesitancy can cause awkward body posturing that allow for serious injury. Most players in the league have been mastering their craft for almost two decades. Asking players to fight their muscle-memory and learn to tackle/break tackles in a new way is potentially hazardous and disadventageous.

Injuries could increase through other means, as well. Specifically regarding the biomechanics of the neck, by keeping one’s head up when tackling, it can leave the tackler’s neck exposed to whiplash and/or fracture if another player were to run into them. To absorb impact or break a tackle, running backs will be forced to juke or stiff arm rather than leading with their head. This could lead to a rise in RB injuries.

The rule’s lack of specificity also allows for potential subjectivity in officiating. Despite common myths, most tackles happen from the side or from behind. Defensive players initiate contact more often and, therefore, will be more likely to be penalized. Defensive backs are also more likely to have their helmets down out of habit. So, while the rule may be protecting both sides of the ball on paper, it has the potential to penalize the defense more frequently. Additionally, it has already proved to be a challenge for officials to recognize in real-time if a player has lowered his helmet to make contact, or if the helmet made contact out of circumstance.

Chapter Review

Head and spinal injuries have become a growing problem in the NFL. The rise of these injuries has, most importantly, affected player safety and youth involvement in the sport. The NFL’s implementation of “the use of the helmet” rule has become their leading solution to this problem.

The rule, in short, is that players must not lower their head to create contact with their helmet against an opponent. Besides a 15 yard loss, players can be ejected for egregious violations of the rule.

While the rule is vague and desperately needs further clarification, that may come in time. The NFL has several options moving forward. They could ditch the rule, adopt college football’s targeting rule, and/or increase player-coach understanding of the rule by providing further examples. Football has the ability to be highly physical and increasingly safe. However, this rule is likely to take one of many to bring that reality about.