The NFL needs to decide whether or not it wants to enforce its own rules.  It’s playoff time in the NFL now.  Win, or go home.

In one of the best playoff games in recent memory, and arguably one of the greatest playoff games of all time, Green Bay was sent packing by the Cardinals.  However, there were a few blown calls late in the game that could have cost the Packers a chance of advancing to play New Orleans.

Snyder Dismisses NFL Rules

On the second play in overtime after a thrilling four periods of regulation, Aaron Rodgers was hit in a helmet to helmet collision in the process of completing a fourteen yard pass.  No personal foul was called, and the play was called back for offensive holding.  Two plays later, everyone watched in shock as Rodgers was taken down by the facemask, losing the ball in the process as Karlos Dansby scooped it out of the air and into the end zone for the Arizona win.

Over the past season, and going further back into prior seasons, the NFL has shown their commitment to protecting the quarterback, no matter how minor the offense. Some argue that certain players have received special treatment from these rules, a la the “Tom Brady treatment.”

To maintain fair competition, the NFL needs to stop over blowing the whistle when these “elite” quarterbacks are out there or make consistent calls.  Since the evidence shows that the calls are never consistent, they should stop overprotecting the quarterback position and let defenses go and do what they are paid to do, which is play defense.

Another rule that has become even more of a mockery than the protection of quarterbacks is the Rooney Rule. This states that teams who are in the process of hiring a new head coach must interview at least one minority. The purpose of this is to give the opportunity of obtaining a head coaching job to a minority. At the very least, even if said minority is passed over for the job, it gets their name out there for future vacancies.

However, it has become commonplace for owners in all sports, including the NFL, to continually recycle the same Caucasian coaches who have been mediocre in prior stints on other teams.  Presumably some of this has to do with media hype over certain coaches when coaching jobs open up, no matter how merited that hype may be. The ignorance of the owners perpetuates this.

In two jobs that opened up shortly after season’s end, the Redskins and Seahawks had their positions filled (at least in principle) before full interviews really took place.  Dan Snyder played footsie with Mike Shanahan for weeks with Zorn still under contract, and days after the season was officially over, he was hired.  The Seahawks were quick to dump their first year coach in favor of USC’s Pete Carroll, who has been mediocre at best in his prior head coaching positions in the NFL.

What’s questionable is if and how these two teams complied with the rule when looking for their replacement. The Redskins interviewed one of their assistants during the season while Zorn was still head coach, and the Seahawks were trying to set up an interview with Minnesota’s defensive coordinator while at the same time working on a contract with Carroll.

It’s quite evident that the spirit of the rule was not followed by either team. Quick moves to dump their current head coaches were made to make room for candidates that were available and coveted by ownership of both teams. Any lackadaisical interviews that occurred with anyone were done simply for compliance sake, not to give those candidates their fair opportunity as was the plan when the rule was originated. But I guess ignorance is bliss.