The NFL continues to make a stand on player safety as they look to add a new rule that will not allow running backs or ball carriers to lower their helmet on a defender. Matt Forte, running back of the Chicago Bears, immediately had a problem with the proposed ruling and didn't hesitate to voice his thoughts on how dumb the rule would be.
For Forte, instincts and mechanics simply take over. He believes it's impossible to lower the head and keep your head up while running and absorbing a hit on a defender.
Take a few seconds. Try lowering your shoulder, which is a legal hit in the NFL, without lowering your head.
It's impossible as Forte pointed out in one of his three tweets on Sunday as he took Twitter as his medium for expressing his thoughts on the matter.
What Forte is asking for is at least a chance to protect himself. Aside from the stiffarm, which at times could fail if a back holds on to a defender's mask, there aren't too many tactics for avoiding these athletic and hard-hitting linebackers in the NFL.
Forte was one of the better backs in the league who rushed for 1,094 yards. Without the ability to lower the shoulder/helmet, who knows how poorly his runs would have been. The Bears needed Forte's game because their passing game struggled in 2012.
It seems like the league is attempting to bring some balance to the helmet-to-helmet ruling which has penalized defenders for attacking or launching themselves head first. Obviously, these hits are devastating and not good for any of the parties involved. However, including this new rule to a running back would present an uneven matchup as running backs are usually the shortest guys on the field.
Emmitt Smith, the Hall of Fame back who spent most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, had this to say about the new rule change which will be taken into consideration over the offseason: "If I'm a running back and I'm running into a linebacker, you're telling me I have to keep my head up so he can take my chin off? You've absolutely lost your mind."
Nobody wants to get hit in the NFL. If this rule is added, either a lot of guys are going to be penalized or they will be carted off the field after taking a huge hit.
How do you feel about this possible ruling change? Do you agree with Forte and Smith or do you think the league is doing the right thing by wanting to add this penalty to the league?
