"A huge problem": Broncos share thoughts on new "Illegal Use of Helmet" penalty

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Thursday night’s preseason matchup between the Bears and the Ravens offered the first look at the NFL’s new rules.

The response was largely negative.

Early in the second half, Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst was crossing the end zone with cornerback Deiondre Hall trailing on his hip. Safety Nick Orr was coming across the end zone in the other direction.

When the pass arrived a little high, Orr broke it up the only way he could—he planted his head in the shoulder of the tight end and knocked the ball loose before Hurst was back on the ground.

In 2018, this is a 15-yard penalty.

NFL players are no longer allowed to initiate contact with their helmet. They have to land a shoulder first and lead with their facemask.

While teams have stated their concern about how much the new rules could change the game, many claim not to know exactly what they’ll actually mean. Broncos head coach Vance Joseph has repeatedly stated that he doesn’t understand exactly what the changes mean.

Julian Mapp, an NFL Line Judge, met with media members and the team after the Broncos’ training camp practice on Friday. Mapp broke down the new rule changes, ranging from “Illegal Use of Helmet” to the new catch rules to allowing players to give themselves up by sliding head first, and took questions from the players and coaches.

“The main thing is just trying to make this game safer,” Mapp told the media.

Mapp also showed this video, which the league released in an effort to explain the new rules, including the one that prohibits initiating contact with a helmet:

So far in training camp, most Broncos have been disappointed in the rule changes, particularly the helmet rule. Justin Simmons says it makes his job harder.

“It’s tough, especially for a defender, because you’re just trying to do your job, make the right play,” he said after Friday’s practice. “Especially when you’re at the high safety position. If you can’t get there to break up the pass, you have to be able to lay a hit to be able to break up the pass. That’s being eliminated from the game. It’s definitely frustrating.”

The switch will change the way football fundamentals are taught, all the way down to the lowest levels of the sport. For decades, middle-schoolers were told to get their head across the body of the runner and plant their facemask in his chest. Simmons said Broncos coaches are doing their best to help players with the change.

“They implement the drills to help muscle memory, take your head out of the play,” he said.

This training camp, the Broncos are teaching their players “wrap and roll” tackling. Pete Carroll popularized this form of rugby-style tackling early in the “Legion of Boom” era in Seattle. Rather than trying to square up a runner and hitting him with a shoulder in the chest—think Steve Atwater bringing down Christian Okoye—rugby players grab the lower body of their opponent and twist him to the ground, using leverage to make the play.

This form of tackling is safer than traditional tackling for both the offensive and defensive player. The collisions aren’t nearly as violent, and the results seem to be just as effective.

While it may sound simple, it’s going to be a massive adjustment.

“I see that’s going to be a huge problema huge problem this year just because the NFL is so violent,” Chris Harris Jr. said of the rule change last Friday. “It’s so hard to slow down. Someone runs a slant down the middle of the field, it’s hard to tell a safety to slow down and not try to kill that guy. It’s going to be a huge impact, I think. Guys have to be slower and think about how they are going to tackle now.”

The four “Illegal Use of Helmet” penalties called on Thursday may be the NFL’s way of showing they are serious about the revision. By setting a low threshold for what constituted a penalty, the officials may have scared players away from using their helmet even if the games won’t be called so tight in the regular season.

But the penalties could also be here to stay.

Whatever happens, the NFL made a statement by outlawing a fairly common—but also dangerous—football play. But some players, including Simmons, aren’t sold they made the right call.

“I understand that you have to keep guys healthy, but I think if you ask any NFL guy, you know the risk you’re signing up for,” Simmons said.

2018 NFL RULE CHANGES

• Players, both offensive and defensively, will not be allowed to initiate contact with their helmet to any part of an opponent’s body. They will be allowed to lower their head to brace for contact.
• Players will be ejected if they make helmet contact when it is clearly avoidable—such as when a ball-carrier is being held up but not brought down by a defender, and another defender comes in late—or when they lower their helmet into a “linear body posture.”
• A receiver must complete three requirements to make a catch. First, he must control the ball. Second, two of his feet or another body part much touch the ground. Finally, he must make a football move. That could mean taking a third step (after he gets his feet down) or reaching out for more yardage. He doesn’t need to maintain control while going to the ground.

2018 POINTS OF EMPHASIS

• Illegal contact will be watched closely. Defenders are not allowed to make contact with receivers more than five yards downfield when the receiver is trying to evade him.
• Pass interference will be more strictly enforced for the offense and defense.
• Gunners on punt teams are not allowed to run downfield out of bounds. They must “demonstrate an immediate effort” to move back in bounds.
• Players hitting sliding players will be scrutinized. However, defenders may make contact with sliding players if they have committed to a tackle prior to the slide
• When hitting the quarterback, defenders cannot land on him with all or most of his body weight.
• Runners can slide head first to give themselves up, and the play will be called down as soon as a body part other than their hands or feet touches the ground. Defenders don’t need to make contact
• Contact with long-snappers will be scrutinized.
• Referees will blow whistles quicker when a runner’s forward progress has been halted to avoid unnecessary collisions.