Back in the old days, OL men couldn't extend their arms at all. The hash marks were out wide reducing one side of the field having a huge impact on the kicking and passing game. Defensive players were allowed to go to the head of offensive players, lead with their heads, horse collar tackle and take shots at defenseless players. It wasn't fair or balanced. There is a reality that the league and players have to face, brain injuries. Protecting the players is an absolute given. If they allowed touch football there would actually be less scoring. The reality is the players have to be protected. That's not the reason scoring is going up. The hash marks have been pulled in and offensive lineman can extend their arms, holding could literally be called on every NFL play but it isn't. Defensive holding is an automatic first down and CB hand contact is being legislated out of the game at the same time the rub play by the offense isn't being enforced as a pick. It's impossible to cover WR or running backs without some hand contact. It's impossible to not have someone wide open if the Offensive players are allowed to set picks that go uncalled. If the defense gets the O in a 3rd and long and a defender reaches and grabs a jersey on a rub play it's an automatic first down. You also have every team in the NFL running some version of a hurry up O. That means more plays are being run in less time, again more points. The old school days of spearing WR in the middle of the field or slamming down QB's had to end. Leading with your head and head to head contact had to end. None of us who love the toughness of football like it but it's a fact of life. You can't have most players who make a few million dollars in a 4 year career disabled in their 40's and 50's and have a game that is legitimate or sustainable. The reason that the 51 48 game was good wasn't about the scoring. It was about the intensity. That game was a very intense regular season game by any standard. In the old days the game favored the defense and you had less scoring. In order to get more balance the rules have favored the O. It's time to get more balance for the D but not balance that is about dangerous contact. It's not going back to that. It's going to continue to be a game of playmaking but brutal contact in the context of favoring the D through intimidation had to come to an end.
We are actually scoring more points per game this year than we did the last 2 years. That's with a rookie QB, who has sucked, an OL that has sucked and a WR/TE group that sucks.
