SANTA CLARA, CA – FEBRUARY 07: Denver Broncos general manager John Elway holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium on February 7, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. The Broncos defeated the Panthers 24-10. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Another part of football has died with the new rule changes and nobody realizes it yet. I’m not talking about the helmet rule or the catch rule or the new rules for kickoffs. I’m talking about head first dives. They’re done as we know it. No more lunging for the pylon. No more lunging into the end zone. All gone. Why?
According to the NFL’s online rules, until now, when a player, usually a QB, slides feet first, he is signaling that he is giving himself up and he cannot be hit. The ball is spotted at the point where the ball was when the slide began. Now the NFL will treat the head first dive in the same manner. If a player should dive forward, the ball will be spotted at the point of launch, from where the ball carrier’s feet left the ground.
Think about this; John Elway’s iconic red zone helicopter dive on 3rd and 6 in Super Bowl XXXII would not have been a first down. He left his feet at the 7 yard line. Under the new interpretation of the rule that would have set up a 4th down and two.
Carson Wentz left his feet diving into the end zone on the play he was injured last year. That ball would have been spotted at the one yard line.
The spirit of fighting for the extra yard is dead. The spirit of football as we know it is dead too.
Written by Craig Shemon
