The NFL is doing everything they can to make sure their fans are clueless about the intricacies of the game. That starts with tweaking a rule that, honestly, didn’t really need to be tweaked. More so, it added no further clarity to one of the most pressing issues in a football game. We all argue what a catch is and why the rules suggest what is or isn’t. But what about non-catching plays?
The league decided to make a small tweak to a rule that specifies a “football move”. A football move, previously, was described as a move common to the game that meant a ball carrier either tucked the ball away or tried to turn up field. Only one of those had to happen for it to be considered a football move.
This year, the “football move” rule had a slight addendum, making it less clear what a true football move is in the NFL. Buckle up for yet another heated debate on what a football move is and why it is or isn’t a fumble.
What is the new “football move” rule change the league made this year?
The change this year is now a football move is defined as a common game move by a player that both tucks the ball and turns up field. With the old rule, only one of those had to happen, and now both of them have to occur. So yeah, in case you were trying to understand what that means, me too.
The new rule will only add more uncertainty on important plays throughout the game, and the new rule change will undoubtedly frustrate you when it affects your team. Sure it’s more changing the language than anything, but it also makes it less clear what a football move will be now.
The controversy behind the new “football move” rule
This new rule is certain to generate controversy. For one, if both moves have to happen, is it simultaneously or simply before the ball is considered a live ball? On top of that, if a player turns up the field and tucks the ball at the same time, but loses control of the ball before either are completed, because it’s still a common move to accomplish both, does it classify as a true football move before the ball was fumbled?
These are all things (and many more) that will come up throughout the season that will further complicate a rule that probably didn’t need to be changed. There are more pressing issues that could have been adjusted in rule changes with the league, modifying the football move rule does not make anything more clear.
The NFL should be worried about what a catch is, not what a football move is
In an effort to provide more clarity on a nuanced play, the NFL made things more complicated. In the process, it makes you wonder why they care so much about a football move rather than what a catch is. That’s the one thing nobody in the NFL can truly explain and now defining a football move in game becomes just as complicated.
Or, even look at the outdated model the NFL uses when it comes to determining if the ball broke the goal line or reached the first down – soccer uses an electronic model to determine if goals are scored or not and takes the guesswork out of it. These are the things NFL fans care about, but changing a rule that, honestly, didn’t need to be modified does nothing but add confusion.