How the NFL's new rules will impact the Broncos

 

The NFL Annual Meeting for owners, general managers and coaches, held this year in Boca Raton Florida, have come to an end and with that comes several rules changes for the 2016-17 NFL season.

In total, the league will use seven new rules, mostly minor tweaks to existing ones, in the coming season but three, in particular, may impact the Denver Broncos from day one. The new touchback rule, chop block rule and personal foul ejection rule will immediately change the way the Broncos conduct themselves.

The altitude has long been the friend of the Broncos, aiding them in training and adding exertion to the opposition but it was the kickers friend first and foremost. Look no further than the record books for how altitude helps kickers with field goals but the new rule pertains to kickoffs.

The teams voted this week to move touchbacks on kickoffs from the 20-yard line to the 25. This will undoubtedly lead to fewer kick returns and thus safer games in the minds of the NFL. However, this will ultimately penalize kickers who regularly kick the ball through the end zone on kickoffs and reward teams for not attempting a return on kicks that land in the arms of a returner in the end zone. Look for teams to attempt to higher and shorter placed kicks inside the 10-yard line along the sidelines if their kicker can do so with consistency.

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus ranked third in the league among kickers with over 10 attempts in forced touchback percentage at 67.9 percent. During the regular season, the altitude clearly helped as well. He has a touchback percentage of 72 percent at home and 63 percent on the road. Wednesday McManus voiced his unique perspective on twitter.

A players board should be represented at these competition committee meetings. Returns will 100% increase not decrease #ExperimentThat

— Brandon McManus (@thekidmcmanus) March 23, 2016

If they want an incentive for less returns but want more scoring plays. Keep the 25 yd tb but give 1 pt for it going through the uprights

— Brandon McManus (@thekidmcmanus) March 23, 2016

The chop block or cut black, a block below the waist of a defensive player, is now illegal in nearly every sense. In recent years, the cut block has been limited to offensive players lined up adjacent to each other on the line of scrimmage or offensive players along the line could chop a player when the flow of the play was toward the block. Tuesday’s decision outlawed the above instances and made the cut block only legal in purely one-on-one situations.

The rule change will not change the zone-blocking scheme the Broncos run and the backside cut blocks to curtail defenders’ pursuit but it will impact how they are coached and then officiated. Players on both sides of the ball had predictable opinions varying position but Head Coach Gary Kubiak did admit early Tuesday morning that the rule change would impact how they coach the offensive line this offseason and into the fall.

“It definitely changes some things. I know we have big conversations about it today. I’ve seen some of the film. It will be interesting to see some of the conversations that we have today. That definitely changes some of your teachings of your techniques.”

The problem with the new rule is not the wording or the emphasis on player safety, it will be how it will be enforced on the field. The matter of if a defensive player is “engaged” with an offensive player before a second attempts the cut block will be the factor. Is any contact deemed engaged, is an extended arm to a shoulder engaged and how does each official interpret the rule? Those will be the immediate questions.

No more chop blocking y'all got no chance of blocking me screens now lol

— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) March 22, 2016

Lastly, the NFL made possibly the biggest news when they adopted a rule to disqualify a player from a game if they are penalized twice for certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. This rule will not leave ejections up to an official’s discretion but make it a hard line in the sand. Coaches reportedly had concerns about whether, after a player is called for one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, that the opposition will try and bait the player into a second and an ejection. The rule will be only a one-year trial before next year’s meetings.

NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell spoke briefly Wednesday about the meeting and rule changes and put the emphasis on the player’s actions when speaking about the new ejection rule.

“This is all in their control. Sportsmanship is important to the membership,” he said. “We all have standards. They have two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before they’re ejected. The message from the membership and the clubs and from our coaches has said we’re going to be held to those high standards.”

The Broncos were highly penalized for such penalties last season. They had 16 personal fouls by just Week 9. Aqib Talib, Von Miller, Malik Jackson and others had a hard time playing between the whistles. The Broncos were able to keep their emotions relatively in check down the stretch of the season but most of the same emotional players like Talib will be back in orange and blue next fall. The rule will certainly see a player in NFL ejected in 2016, the Broncos will just be hoping it won’t be one of theirs.

The Broncos are defending Super Bowl champions and have plenty of things to worry about but Tuesday that list just got a little longer.