Image courtesy of Brian McCarthy/NFL P.R

There were several new rules that were introduced at this week’s coaches and general manager meetings in Florida.

Here are my thoughts on some new rule changes that were implemented.

New Catch Rule: I think it is great that the NFL changed the catch rule and made it clearer for players and fans alike. I am sure it is no consolation to Cowboys fans after they found that Dez Bryant’s catch against the Packers four years ago would now be a catch. Either way, the league finally addressed what has been a controversial rule for a long time.

League Office Can Instruct Officials to Eject Players for Misconduct: Giving Al Riveron more power by allowing him to eject players from New York is foolish to me. Riveron shouldn’t be the one making that call. He is not on the field. The league has basically emasculated the officials when it comes to policing player conduct on the field by implementing this rule.

Helmet to Helmet Contact: I am curious to see how the league is going to enforce the new helmet to helmet rule. 80% of tackles in football are at an angle. It is going to be awfully tough to not lead with the helmet on some tackles. Even if teams are teaching Hawk tackling which emphasizes the shoulder, it won’t be enough to prevent defensive players putting their head down on certain occasions. There is no doubt this new rule will cause an uproar amongst the players.

The “Josh McDaniels” Rule: Good luck getting coaches like Bill Belichick to support the purposed “Josh McDaniels” rule. Why would any coach support a rule that allows assistants to leave for jobs while their team is still in the playoffs? It makes no sense. This isn’t college football. Teams aren’t playing in some run of the mill bowl game. Despite what McDaniels did to the Colts, I have a hard time believing that most teams in the league will get behind a rule like this.

Not all rule changes presented yesterday were official. Some will be discussed again during the league meeting in May. Either way you look at it, the league made some good progress this week. Especially when it comes to the highly ambiguous catch rule.