Football season is finally here this week!
The NFL season begins its preseason with Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, pitting the Chicago Bears against the Baltimore Ravens. Usually, the game itself is pretty dull as starters play a few snaps and give way to third and fourth stringers scrambling to make the roster. But it’s good to see actual football following a six month hiatus and fans suffering from severe football withdrawal symptoms. Real football is right around the corner.
There is an issue regarding this year’s Hall of Fame Game that will make it more interesting to watch though. We will learn how the officials plan to regulate the NFL’s new helmet contact policy. Will contact be allowed at all? Will yellow penalty flags be flying on every other play? Time will tell.
Last week we spoke with former Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins Guard Tom Thayer. He currently broadcasts for the Bears radio team and said officials for Thursday’s game visited camp recently to explain the new rules. The Ravens received a similar visit. We are not certain if those meetings created clarity or added confusion. However, a referee crew also visited the world champion Eagles’ camp this week and nothing but confusion and frustration ensued. Linebacker Nigel Bradham says he did not get the answers he was looking for. Malcom Jenkins’ big hit on Brandin Cooks during the Super Bowl would be flagged under the new rules. Jenkins says he would make that play the same way 10 times out of 10. He says the game is faster than the rules and that might true. Beginning Thursday, we’ll see if the league reacts quickly to the mess it has created or if football has changed forever.
Written by Craig Shemon
