Thoughts on new rule change for this season regarding defenseless player

Quote from Steve Shaw today:

quote:

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the first one is a sliding ball carrier. So, really the change here is now by rule definition a sliding ball carrier -- and they've got to slide feet first, and the slide starts when they obviously give themselves up. But once they've obviously given themself up, sliding feet first, they become a defenseless player.

What does that mean? Why is that important? Well, even though before it could have been a late hit if he was down, but now because he's defenseless as a
sliding ball carrier, if there's forcible contact to the head or neck area, it now converts to a targeting foul.

The opportunity here for defenders is when you see that player go into a slide, pull up, stay off his head, and hopefully there's a player change of behavior there that helps us. And, again, a player safety-type situation

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Personally, I hate this and it's going to cost someone big. I already have my issues with teh targeting penalty in general (especially the official statement by Shaw that if there is any doubt, it's targeting), but I think this goes too far. YOu see it MANY times throughout the course of a game where a ballcarrier and a defender are approaching each other, the defender begins his tackle, the ballcarrier slides, and there's some incidental contact. When your'e moving that fast in real time sometimes it's simply not possible to just stop.

I can already see this happening and even with zero malicious intent whatsoever, someone's elbow is going to scrape a ballcarrier's helmet and it's going to be a targeting penalty. I hate this.