Advantages And Disadvantages Of Tom Brady Rules

Sunday, a football fanatic’s favorite day of the week; the thrill of rushing home from church trying to make it in time to catch the NFL opening kickoff. Fans sit on the sofa with a table loaded with snacks and their team’s gear on, ready for the game. Now the game begins, and the opening kickoff is underway. Players sprint down the field with a full head of steam ready to deliver a vicious hit. The type of hit that would end up on Sports Center Top 10 plays. The NFL was forty-eight minutes of hardnose football with players like Lawrence Taylor, Brian Urlacher, and Sean Taylor delivering hits that would make you jump off your seat because of excitement. At least that is how Sundays used to be. Nowadays, the NFL Competition Committee has implemented
One rule that the NFL has implemented that creates a disadvantage for players is the Roughing-The-Passer rule, also known as the Tom Brady Rule. ESPN writer, Jeffri Chadiha states, “Defenders who have been knocked to the ground must get back on their feet before tackling the quarterback” (Chadiha). They call it the Tom Brady rule because Tom Brady’s injury in the 2008 NFL season influenced the NFL Competition Committee into enforcing this rule. On the contrary, this rule places a disadvantage for defensive line players because if an offensive lineman knocks or cut blocks a defensive lineman to the ground, they cannot simply lunge at the quarterback and bring him to the ground with them. Defensive lineman must get back completely on their feet before tackling the quarterback. This wastes time and gives quarterbacks the upper hand. If the NFL Competition Committee is implementing a rule restricting defenders from lunging from the ground to tackle the quarterback, they must also create a rule restricting offensive players (linemen) from cut blocking defenders. This is the main reason why defensive linemen end up on the ground. Therefore, the NFL Competition Committee must either remove the Tom Brady rule, or implement another rule prohibiting offensive players from cut blocking defensive
For instance, the NFL Competition Committee’s implications of the Roughing-the-Passer and Defenseless player rules are prime examples of the tradition changing, and these rules are progressively turning the game soft. Football has always been a sport that emphasizes brutality and toughness, but over the years, the implications of all these rules are starting to change the tradition of the game, and it is progressively making the NFL lose its value. One tradition that has been recently altered is the kickoff line claims sports writer Marc Tracy. The NFL has moved the kickoff line from the thirty to the thirty-five-yard line in order to minimize the number of returns during kickoffs. Kickoff is one of the many valuable traditions in a football game, especially the opening kickoff. It is the commencement of the game. It excites the fans out of their seats because nobody knows what could happen; it is unpredictable. The anticipation is the most exciting part of the opening kickoff; at least it used to be. Nowadays, most kickoffs result in an almost guaranteed touchback due to the modification of the kickoff line from the thirty to the thirty-five-yard line. Tracy also claims, the NFL Competition Committee believes kickoff is arguably the most dangerous play in a football game, which is why they moved the line up, so they can minimize the number of returns (Tracy). Sadly,