NFL owners loathe change in the game. The only time rules are changed is when the league is concerned about players health, and that only happened after a big deal was made about former players suffering from CTE. Basically, the only time rule changes happen are if something big happens on a national stage — like what happened with the Saints-Rams NFC Championship game — or if a team complains about the Patriots — defensive interference after the Patriots mauled the Colts receivers for years, new formation rules after they confused the Ravens etc.. That may not be a good thing. The NFL always seems to be late to change and creativity. That’s why the XFL was a good thing. It forced the NFL to change its ways presenting the game. That’s why the AAF and the return of the XFL could be a good thing for rules. Owners won’t make changes without some type of catalyst.
It’s pretty easy to see that owners are no longer looking to change things. This should be pretty easy. If coaches voted 32-0 to change a rule, then change the rule.
https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1110644328982953984?s=20
I don’t want to get all ageist here, but maybe some of it because NFL ownership is old. The older people get, the less open they are to change. It’s a if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it situation. That can get any company in trouble. Static companies can get passed easier. If you don’t move, you die. It would take a long time with the NFL, but creative, outside the box thinking can help the NFL. Take this proposed rule change for example:
The competition committee voted 7-1 in favor of this idea. Let’s review why it would be a good idea. First, onside kicks are now impossible to convert. The new rules make it insanely difficult. The percentage of onside kick recoveries plummeted last year. The NFL isn’t bringing back the old onside kick rule because it’s too dangerous to players. That makes it a non-starter. So let’s think of a creative idea that another league is using to make things more exciting. After all, the NFL should want exciting endings to game. That means more viewers. It means more fans. It means more money from advertising and sponsorship partners.
That’s where the fourth-and-fifteen comes into play. If a team doesn’t convert the game is over and it penalizes team by putting the opposition in scoring range. The fourth-and-fifteen also has a much higher chance of being converted when compared to the current onside kick. It will give fans a more stressful but more fun ending to games. It’s fun. The AAF is using it. It’s an actual football play as opposed to a random onside kick. The only reason to poo-poo the idea is because they’ve never done it that way. It’s a bit gimmicky. It’s way too creative and requires way too much thinking outside the box. Don’t like fourth-and-fifteen then make it 20 or 25 yards. There’s no reason to just kill the idea, especially when the competition committee voted 7-1 in favor of the idea.
Instead, the owners voted unanimously to squash it. They voted unanimously against the idea. There was no discussion. No word that they will think about it and review it next year. There was nothing other than criticizing the idea and calling it Arena League Football. That’s the opposite of being open-minded. That’s the antithesis of evolving. It’s doing the same thing, the same old way because we’ve always done it that way and we will continue doing it that way. It’s static and static is never fun.
