The NFL has made it no secret that it plans to punish teams for illegal contact beyond 5 yards this year in the NFL, making teams like the Colts and Seahawks prime suspects who will either have to alter their defensive approach or be flagged every other play. If there was any doubt of this new direction the league is taking, it was answered emphatically during the 1st half of the Colts vs Giants game last week. The Colts lost two crucial turnovers due to illegal contact penalties as well as a third from a fumble for the same reason. The Colts were called for illegal contact 5 times against the Giants. Although the Colts defense has become more aggressive each year with the addition of the kind of players coach Pagano and DC Greg Manusky have been asking for, they (The Colts dethat'ss) are not the reason for the recent shift of emphasis that the league is taking this year. You can thank the world champion Seahawks and fittingly call it "the legion of Boom rule." The NFL's move to "tighten up" on illegal contact couldn't be more profound as it comes right on the heels of a Peyton Manning shellacking by the hands (literally) of the current champs. I'll let you in on a little secret: "This isn't the 1st time the NFL has (cracked down) on the defense for IC. Go back to 2003-06. Manning and the Colts were getting man-handled by Ty Law and the Pats defense in the playoffs during that span. Shortly after the Colt's second defeat, Manning was in the ears of the NFL's league officials complaining about the Patriots physical tactics back then. Ted Bruschi and members of the Pats defense had a word or two for Manning and his complaining regarding Ty Law and the physical play of the corners on the Pats.
I for one, have no problem with the rule as long as it's called both ways. However, I don't like the timing of the emphasis as it suggests that NFL QBs who fall into the highest of the elite status category are using their platform to get the league to accommodate their wishes. I don't think that any player should have that kind of influence on the game due to the unfairness it gives to their side of the ball, particularly on offense. The league has made it no secret that it favors the offense. Just look at all of the rule changes that have taken place over the past ten years. 90% of them have been in favor of the offense, which is why we are seeing increased scoring in record numbers all across the board.
For the casual NFL fan who appreciates good defense, this is not something we want to see. Defense is just as much a part of the game of football as offense. It's part of what makes the NFL: "The NFL." For all of his greatness, Peyton Manning has entirely too much power in the NFL. So does Brady for that matter. Nomatter the sport, no athlete should be able to influence the game they play in ways that benefit them solely. Defenses have a hard enough time stopping today's high octane offenses that are only getting faster by the season as new concepts are brought into to the NFL by the "Chip Kellys" of the league. Couple that with the fact that when it comes to illegal contact, offensive players are given the benefit of the doubt more so than defensive players. WRs push off and shove as they jockey for position just as much as defensive players do. As I said before, if this so called "new approach" does indeed penalize the offense in instances when they are guilty of it I will have no problem with it. However, I don't think this will happen. The apparent "football gods" didn't take kindly to their "golden boy" getting his (you know what) handed to him the way he did on the NFL's biggest stage. Like Jordan, Peyton is the "goose that lays the golden egg" as far as the NFL is concerned and want him (as well as the other goose Brady) to advertise their league on the W side of it's biggest stage as much as possible. The timing of this "change of emphasis" couldn't be more clearer of it's intention. Don't believe me? How much do you want to bet that if the Broncos had beaten the Seahawks by 40 we wouldn't even be having this conversation? Didn't think so. This is what disappoints me about the current direction of the NFL. I didn't like "the Jordan rule" when Michael was still playing, and I don't like the Manning/Brady rules in the NFL either. My theory when it comes to how "great you really are" as a player has always been one that doesn't support the preferential treatment "because you're a star" rule. Good players don't need preferential treatment. That's what makes them "good." This latest move by the NFL is not one that paints it in a good light. It's one that places more importance on dollar signs that it does on the integrity of the game, and in that scenario the biggest losers are the fans who at the end of the day want product that honest.