The Atlanta Falcons stand to benefit from last second tweaking of new helmet rule

Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal is known for his hard hitting ways. The kid can hit; that’s a fact. But that said, he’s been the recipient of extensive pushback over his two years as a professional football player. Put simply, his critics claim he’s a reckless player. When the NFL decided to change its helmet rule this offseason, Neal immediately came to mind. Would the rule effectively limit his effectiveness as a player? Could he adapt?

The short version of the new rule is this: a player may be penalized for unnecessary roughness when their helmet or facemask butts, spears, or rams an opponent. My fear is that it amounts to a zero tolerance rule. While the old rule required unnecessary or violent contact, the new rule does not. But wait! There’s a caveat. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote an article discussing a last second tweak to the rule that may keep players like Neal from hurting their respective teams.

“The new language comes in the form of a ‘note’ that apparently was added at some point ... [h]ere’s the full text of the new note: ‘This provision does not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle or block on an opponent.’”

The incidental contact would have to be result of a “conventional” tackle, so there’s a gray area here. I’m curious how the NFL will instruct its officials regarding enforcement of the rule. I can certainly foresee a scenario where

I think we can all agree, at least to some extent, that the game of football needs to be made safer. We know too much about brain trauma and its long-term effects to reject all efforts to protect the players. This simply comes down to expectations. Players should have a clear understanding of and some ability to control the prohibited conduct.

Your thoughts?