Heads up, the NFL might be making some changes to its rule book.
After a Bengals vs. Steelers game on Monday night that was brutally physical, to say the least, suspensions have been assessed, but a stricter policy on illegal hits may be imminent.
On Wednesday, Troy Vincent, the NFL's VP of football operations, said that the league is considering the implementation of a targeting rule, similar to a policy that college football has about hitting defenseless players. The rule would eject players who land head-on, whiplash-inducing hits to opponents' upper-body and head areas.
The NCAA put in their targeting rule before this year's college football season, with the rule specifically saying that "no player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent ... with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder."
Vincent also mentioned the possibility of a punishment schedule to deter "non-football acts," or unsportsmanlike plays away from the ball. Following this weekend's incident where Rob Gronkowski dropped a shoulder on a face-down Tre'Davious White, there was outrage over the failure to immediately eject Gronk, as well as his decision to appeal his suspension.
Gronkowski has since apologized for his hit, but some players are expressing their distaste with the NFL's jurisdiction on aggression.
