connecting*the*dots

The NFL has gone soft.

I’m watching the Jets get theirs asses handed to them by the Jags… and the refs. Don’t get me twisted; the Jets are getting killed by the opposition, but two plays today have summed up the differences between the NFL circa 1975 and today.

1. Jonathan Vilma broke through the Jags o-line and crushed Byron Leftwich while he was releasing his pass for an incompletion. The result? A 15-yard roughing the passer call. Unbelievable.
2. Down 28 in the first half, Eric Barton sacked and leveled Byron Leftwich on the Jags 1-yard line. Too little too late, possibly, but at least we got a lick in. Wait, check that; 15-yard penalty, roughing the passer. I guess you can’t even sack THE DAMN QUARTERBACK ANYMORE!

Just as I prepared to swear off football for good (I’m still close), I sumbled across this gem of an article:

Brushback.com
New Rule To Protect Quarterbacks Prohibits Them From Taking Field

NEW YORK — In a further effort to protect quarterbacks from violent hits, the NFL has adopted a new rule prohibiting them from taking the field. The rule, which will be put into effect in week 3, is expected to dramatically decrease the number of injuries to starting quarterbacks, and also significantly alter game planning.

“This is a rule that we needed in order to protect our marquee players from season-ending injuries,� said commissioner Roger Goodell. “Guys like Carson Palmer, Steve McNair, and Daunte Culpepper are the faces of the league. We can’t have them battered around like tackling dummies. We can’t allow defenders to hit them high or low or in the middle or late or on-time or at all. They’re dainty, like little Russian nesting dolls, and we need to protect them from those scary, HGH-addled defenders.�

Goodell went on to describe the gridiron as a “scary, violent place that’s fraught with peril.�

“It’s just too dangerous out there,� he said. “Have you seen what goes on? Everybody’s running into each other at high speeds. Sticking a franchise QB out there is just asking for trouble. Personally I don’t even think they should be allowed to stand on the sidelines. You never know when somebody’s going to get shoved out of bounds and upend them. Oh, God I don’t even want to think about it. Can we just change the subject, please?�

The new rule change will force coaches to come up with game plans that don’t involve quarterbacks in any way. Generic running plays, as well as gadget plays like the double reverse and the halfback option, should become more common. In each case, a running back or wide receiver would take the snap from center.

[…]

It’b be hilarious if it weren’t so close to being reality.

If the NFL ever becomes a sport for men again — where business investments in quarterbacks return to the world of a roll of the dice — I might return to getting amped to spend 3 hours on Sundays to watch. Until then, well, consider my patronage a roll of the dice.