NCAA implements the "Kenny Bell" rule...

[HeyBurke]

So will it be illegal to tackle a guy from behind? Or if a defensive end comes at a qb's blindside, should he tap him on the shoulder so he can be seen, and then hit him?

 

Blocks and tackles are two completely different things.

[The King]

So pretty much.. they are teaching players to not keep their head on a swivel... pretty much the only legal block is the one that I can see coming... so whats to stop me from chasing after a player with my head cocked sideways so that I can only see the runner? Flopping MAY start happening in football now. Good lord.

[Joe_5700]

Rules like these give the officials the power to turn the tide of any game at any moment that they choose... In my mind if you are on the field and wearing a uniform you cannot be classified as defenseless.

[TonyStalloni]

I would love to read what the NCAA classifies as an illegal hit to a defenseless defensive player. That has to be an oxymoron. If a young man hasn't learned a sense of awareness on the field as a tackler, maybe getting knocked on his can will help him learn the coaches lesson.

[The Dude]

I have trouble grasping the concept of a defensive player being a defenseless player.

[Mavric]

So far you can't hit a WR trying to make a catch, block a defender trying to make a tackle or hit a QB before or after he throws a pass unless you do it perfectly. Other than that, what's the big deal?

[Count 'Bility]

I have trouble grasping the concept of a defensive player being a defenseless player.

Pretty much the simplest and most complete explanation of all this right here. Nicely played.

[HUSKER 37]

I'll miss hits like this if they do indeed go away..But the death of Football in 20-30 years? The World will end in 2012 WAY before that.

 

More controversy will more than likely make it more popular...

[HUSKER 37]

The defenseless player definitions are included in the NCAA rule book under section 2-27-14. However, a rule change has been implemented this season to include the following amongst the "defenseless player" definitions:

 

2-27-14g - "a player who receives a blind-side block".

 

Here's the Kenny Bell hit again, as I know that Nebraska fans can't get enough of it while it makes Wisconsin fans cringe (our only revenge for that game):

 

 

You can't watch that play and not conclude that the NCAA didn't change their rule just because of that big hit.

http://www.cornnatio...sin-defenseless

 

I still wonder if Kenny would've been flagged if he'd managed to keep his arms down after impact. Or checked #10 for a pulse afterward.

[walksalone]

just another chapter in the neutering of football...

[NUance]

Hit too high, it's targeting. Blindside a guy, get ejected. I think the answer is clear. We need to recruit short, wide players. With flamboyant hair if possible.

 

 

/ I've seen the football of the future. And I do not like it.

[commando]

kenny should have body slammed him instead. that wouldn't get flagged

 

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bjorkland+body+slams+taylor+martinez&mid=8A36DB65B494068623ED8A36DB65B494068623ED&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1

[huKSer]

kenny should have body slammed him instead. that wouldn't get flagged

 

http://www.bing.com/...tail&FORM=VIRE1

The ad that popped up was CHEAP auto insurance

 

Coincidence, I don't think so

[Count 'Bility]

kenny should have body slammed him instead. that wouldn't get flagged

 

http://www.bing.com/...tail&FORM=VIRE1

One thing I'll say about Borland is, once the addrenaline of the moment passed, he realized what he'd done and went over and most likely an apologetic comment of some sort to Taylor. But yeah, how that wasnt a flag at least is beyond me.

[junior4949]

Bernard Pollard was right. Football as we know it won't even exist in 20-30 years.

 

Bernard Pollard believes the end is near for the NFL.

 

The hard-hitting Baltimore Ravens safety has watched professional football evolve with bigger, faster players and vows the violent nature of the sport cannot be tempered by continual rule changes. He believes the equation doesn't work.

 

"I just truly believe, another 20, 30 years -- I don't even think football will even be in existence anymore," Pollard told KILT-AM in Houston, via CBSSports.com. "... We all know what this game is about. We know and understand that it's a violent sport."

 

"If somebody is going to get a knockout shot, OK, at some point somebody is going to get hit anyway," Pollard said. "If you end up getting knocked out because you're trying to get a knockout shot, it's either kill or be killed. Which one are you going to do? This is football. It's not powder puff.

 

There's really two ways this thing could go. Pollard could be correct that we won't even have football in another two or three decades. However, there is also another possibility. When one looks at the block by Bell, he could have just as easily got in front of the guy and stood there like a screen in basketball. By doing this, there's a very good chance Bell could have gotten injured. The way the rules are going, it appears as though the ones doing the hitting will eventually be the ones being hit causing injury to themselves. A screen may work well in basketball, but it's going to cause a lot of screeners on the football field injuries.

 

The biggest problem with the new rules is how they're interpreted and then used by the officials. If a running QB flushes out of the pocket, there's a lot less chance a defender gets hit with a penalty for levelling the guy as opposed to a pocket passer who is flushed from the pocket and crushed. It's almost like there's two different sets of rules. I always go back to the difference with regards to sphering. A RB running through the line with his head down is never called for leading with the helmet while a LB or such is almost always called for it when making a tackle.