Inside The Star
I’m usually not much of a one to get into conspiracy theories, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is really pushing the boundaries.
For some time now, he’s been preaching at the altar of “Player Safety” when pitching rules changes. Sometimes to the extreme.
We’re perilously close to having a flag thrown on a defender for breathing too hard on the quarterback.
How much longer until a serious proposal is made to change the game from tackle football to flag football?
Yet, this very week, Goodell has taken steps to increase the likelihood of injury on the field. Make it make sense, somebody.
Last year, after many years of tinkering to “cut down on injuries”, the league brought in the “Dynamic Kickoff” rules. To be fair, it seems to have worked as far as lowering injuries.
According to a report released by the league after the 2024 season ended, the NFL saw a:
There was even an increase in kickoff returns of 57% in the regular season. The seven kickoff returns for a touchdown were the most since 2021.
Fewer injuries, more returns, and more scoring. A win-win-win, right?
So the NFL has decided that if it ain’t broke, let’s fix it.
The rules were changed again earlier this week, moving the spot of the ball up five yards on touchbacks with the apparent goal of forcing kickers to kick short of the end zone and force more returns.
Which in all likelihood will result in more injuries. He could also stop trying to make players play an 18-week regular season with Thursday night games every week if he were truly that concerned about player safety.
Tabling a ban on the “Tush Push”, which happened on Tuesday, was a curious move given Goodell himself sees the potential for injury from the play.
Never mind that it presents an unfair advantage for the offense. Or that it isn’t even an American football play.
Hopefully, next month’s meeting will finally produce the vote to end that abomination.
But if Goodell were truly worried about injuries, he could easily get this play banned.
So why doesn’t he? It seems that the Commissioner might be biased against the defense in his league.
The Tush Push allows the offense to help a ball carrier gain yardage.
But the defense is not allowed to push a ball carrier backwards to lose yardage. Nor is a defender allowed to push a fellow defender, or push off one, to gain an advantage.
But the offense can at will.
That hardly seems fair.
Another rule that was proposed was to change certain five-yard penalties against the defense to...
