Quote:
Originally Posted by Shields68
Guess the problem is that football is violent, short yardage is violent, injuries happen on just about every play.
This play is actually probably has less a risk of injury given no one really has a running start. It is not like a ball carrier getting blown up 2 yards in the backfield by a defender coming free.
Using risk of injury is more of a wink wink we do not like the play. Though I think the NFL should look at how the center and other lineman are aligned in the formation. A lot of times Kelce looks to have his head almost passed the ball. Maybe they should go to a true neutral zone and no ones helmet can be in the area of the ball...
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My view is that assisting the runner was banned for most of football history.
This play is the extreme example of assisting the runner that was not contemplated when the rule was changed to allow assisting the runner.
A lot of time when a law or rule is changed to end a prohibition, there will arise an example that proves why there was a prohibition in the first place.
I think it is okay to assist the runner if it is not part of the initial play design, like CEH's TD on Sunday.
But I am not in favor of a play that has a formation where some of the players' jobs are to push the ball carrier as soon as ball is snapped.