Keeping up with the changes to the NFL rulebook can be a challenge for some of us. I mean, you might be busy work on ways to be a tailgate crasher and not have a chance to read up on the rule changes, right? Well, no matter what you’re too busy doing, we’ve got a quick breakdown of the five changes to the rules for this year. Check them out below.
Completed Catch Re-Defined
If you saw Dez Bryant’s controversial catch or no catch last season, then you already know what sparked this rule change. If not, you can catch it in the video below.
The updated rule for what makes a completed catch is now listed in the rulebook as:
“To gain possession of a loose ball that has been caught, intercepted, or recovered, a player must have complete control of the ball and have both feet or any other part of his body, other than his hands, completely on the ground inbounds, and then maintain control of the ball until he has clearly become a runner. A player becomes a runner when he is capable of avoiding or warding off impending contact of an opponent.”
Yeah, still confusing, but there ya go.
Concussion Medical Time-Out
Seems kind of surprising that the league has finally actually recognized that they have a problem with serious head injuries. Well, this new addition to the rulebook allows for trainers to stop the game play and have a player removed if brain injury or other serious injury is suspected. Probably a good rule so that players like Julian Edelman can get the medical attention they probably need after a serious blow to the head…even if they can go on to score a touchdown after the injury.
Line of Scrimmage Teammate Pushing
If this rule sounds familiar, that’s because it is. For 2015, they’ve actually expanded on the same rule from the 2013 season. The expanded rule states that defensive players can’t give any of their teammates a push into the offensive line in an attempt to disrupt the kicker or something similar. Not really sure what caused them to expand this rule for 2015, but there it is.
Extra Points Rule Change
This is one of the more interesting changes for the 2015 season. We’re all used to touchdowns being 7 points, right? Well, that may be a bit of a challenge for some teams this time around. Instead of extra points being snapped at the 2 yard line, they will now be at the 15. So you’re looking at a change in distance for the kick from 20 yards to 33 yards. Note that the two-point conversion yard line doesn’t change.
Roughing The Passer
Last season, we saw a fair amount of refs making some questionable calls on what is considered “more than mild contact” in this rule. And the NFL is continuing the trend of protecting the quarterbacks. Here’s what the rulebook states:
“When in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactic against the quarterback, the Referee should always call roughing the passer.”
And that’s it for our summary of the new rules for the 2015 season. If you need more details, we suggest checking out the official NFL rulebook.
image via pixabay
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