Every year, the NFL gets together to review and approve new rule changes. They’re currently doing that now at the Owners meetings to figure out which changes will be enacted into the 2019 season.
But instead of simple new rules and changes like we see every offseason, the league should step up their game. As the NFL looks to improve their ratings, bring on new fans and satiate current ones, the league should enact a few new rules to make the game more fun.
These nine rules would make each game more interesting and exciting for fans both at home and in the stadiums.
Kickoffs through the uprights are worth 1 point:
Kickers are often labeled as the least useful player on the roster . . . right up until he has to hit a game-winning kick. By Tuesday everyone’s ready to either go buy his jersey or wants him cut. But kicking can be made a much larger part of the game if the NFL gets inventive.
As kickoff rules are being designed to limit injuries, the play is quickly becoming boring and less necessary. In 2018, 62 percent of all kickoffs either went out of bounds or were touchbacks. Compare that to 2008 when only 15.9 percent of kickoffs went out of bounds or were touchbacks.
By adding this rule to games, kickers suddenly become much more important and games become far more exciting. It would also further the NFL’s desire to limit hits on kickoffs as more teams aim for the extra point option.
Coaches can challenge un-called penalties
Every team in the NFL has a game that was decided by a penalty or the lack of a call. But with the NFC Championship Game earning headlines for a missed pass interference call at the end to ultimately decide who would go to Super Bowl LIII, this rule change is one that seems necessary. It’s one of the rules currently proposed for 2019 and has plenty of support.
Of course, allowing coaches to throw the red flag and claim a penalty happened has its problems as well. Every big play in the league would see a replay, slowing down the game. And on every play, if you look close enough, you can probably find a penalty somewhere on the field.
But the rule proposed this offseason has found a good way around those issues. Forcing coaches to specifically call out the penalty and players involved would limit potential abuse of the rule while still making sure things are called correctly.
Let players use any number and name they want
The NFL currently limits jersey numbers to certain ranges, depending on what position group the player is in. The name on the back of each jersey also has to be the player’s last name. While there are some reasons for these rules, they’re rather antiquated at this stage and could be made far more interesting by eliminating them.
Some players have been forced to change their jersey numbers from college to the NFL. Allowing players to keep those numbers only strengthens their individual brands, and ultimately, the NFL.
As for the names, the players’ unique personalities are often a big draw for many fans. Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson (Ochocinco) was a perfect test for allowing players to get creative with their jerseys. For anyone old enough to have seen the first iteration of the XFL, you still likely remember “He Hate Me.” In fact, Rod Smart’s XFL persona is significantly more famous than his five-year NFL career ever was.
Of course, having some restrictions on changing number and name will need to be put in place for jersey manufacturers. But in this day and age, it can be done and it could be a huge boost for the NFL’s brand by letting players get creative and fun.
Get rid of Thursday Night Football
Simply put, no one likes Thursday Night Football.
Fans love their teams and follow them closely. They’re often willing to watch them in the middle of the week if forced but it’s a rough night. Games kick off closer to 8:30 pm ET, meaning they don’t often end until near midnight. Then fans have to wake up just a few hours later to go to work or school . . . Ugh.
It doesn’t help that many of the matchups have been complete duds as well. Out of the 18 Thursday Night Football games in 2018, only four had a margin of victory of three points or less. However, seven were blowouts, with a margin of victory of 14-plus points.
The fans are a huge reason for the need to eliminate the games but they’re not even the biggest one. For a league that loves to talk about making the game safer, giving teams three days maximum to rest and prepare is lunacy.
Games are often sloppy affairs because of the hastened timelines. Whenever fundamentals start to slip, injuries tend to follow. It’s why many players have spoken out about Thursday Night Football and have called it a contradiction to the NFL clamoring they’re all for player safety.
Let’s just get rid of it and save everyone the trouble.
Make long field goals worth more
Ask any NFL kicker and they’ll likely tell you no kick is considered automatic. But a 55-yard field goal is certainly harder to make than a 20-yard kick for a number of reasons. We should reward NFL teams and kickers for that talent by expanding what they’re worth.
Any kick over 50 yards should be worth four points. A kick over 60 yards should be worth five points.
It would make field goal attempts far more exciting than they currently are simply by the nature of them being worth more to their respective teams. It would also add an interesting strategic element to offensive drives and the end of games.
Offenses would have to weigh their chances of getting into the end zone compared to a long field goal attempt. An average offense with a great kicker could suddenly become far more dynamic, ultimately raising the scores of games. Then again, longer field goal attempts come with the potential for misses and giving the ball back to their opponent at great field position.
Those decisions and big plays are what makes NFL games so amazing. Let’s have more of them.
Allow running starts
NFL plays are insanely fast and exciting but they can be faster. Just take a look at the Arena Football League for a prime example. They allow one receiver to go into forward motion prior to the snap of the ball as long as they don’t go beyond the line of scrimmage, and the CFL has provisions for this as well. This adds a different dynamic to each play as defenses have to cater to the additional speed of that player at the snap of the ball.
Doing the same thing in the NFL would promote the big play we all love. With a wide receiver already running at full speed, it would take less time for deep passes to get set up.
It also requires a little extra strategy on the part of both the offense and defense. Choosing the fastest player on the field to get a head start might not always be the best plan for the offense. Just like putting the best cornerback on that player might not be the best idea for the defense. The choice of who gets the head start could be a decoy designed to create a better matchup elsewhere on the field.
Changing two feet down for a catch to only one foot down
Circus catches are often at the top of every highlight reel. Insane one-handed, diving receptions and are viral sensations on social media following games. Big toe-tapping receptions helped make the career of Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss. Now imagine if players only had to get one foot in bounds?
Players could be even more acrobatic with their catches if they only have to get one foot down in bounds. We’d see an increase in those circus catches we all love to watch.
Better yet, it would mirror rules from college where players only have to get one foot down to count. It would make the transition a little easier, ultimately giving us more big-name players to root for.
It would also force the defense to have to play a little more aggressively than they do already. No longer could a defensive back just assume a player is heading out of bounds. They’d have to be close to the receiver, make contact and make a play for the ball to ensure it’s not caught.
Again, the more plays we make more exciting, the better the NFL will be.
Make preseason games free for fans
Look at almost any preseason game and you’ll see nearly empty stands. No one wants to pay money to see third and fourth string players, especially when preseason tickets can cost as much as a regular season game. Instead, the league and team owners should invest in their local communities by making those games free to attend in a first-come, first-serve fashion.
You’d find stands are packed, creating a better atmosphere. Concession stands would likely see a jump in sales as well. Best of all, it would allow lower-income families who don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend in total on a day out at the stadium to enjoy the game in person.
A fully packed stadium is far better training for the players on the field as well. It’s a completely different experience having 10,000 fans in the stands than a fully-packed 70,000 fans cheering. It’s precisely why teams often have speakers pumping in music and crowd noise at their practices to simulate what gameday will actually be like.
Keep the game clock going between plays
The pauses in NFL games are what’s really killing games nowadays. I fully understand those stoppages in play are perfect for advertisers to show that same commercial for the 15,000th time on Sunday, but it’s part of what is driving fans away.
Keeping the clock running forces the game to speed up between plays. It would force teams to be more creative and aggressive at the end of the first half and end of the game. Most importantly, it would help the NFL keep the fans’ attention at a time when they’re competing with mobile devices and a host of other technology for it.
You want fans to keep paying attention? Stop with a commercial every 30 seconds and get to playing football.
