Eliminate half the distance to the goal.

[RedRamage]

It's gotta be the off season if RedRamage is speculating about rule change, right? Well, here's another:

Let's get rid of the 'half the distance to the goal' on penalties. I always though this was majorly unfair. Imagine a situation where the offense is on the 3-yard line... backed up against their endzone. They do a hard count trying to get the defense to jump. What happens here? If the offense flinches it's a false start the offense loses 1.5 yards. If the defense screws up it's a 5 yard penalty. Now if the the offense tries it again and screws up they lose just .75 yards... but if the defense does they lose 5 yards.

Or consider the other end of the field. The offense just got a first down at the 4 yard line and runs a play. If there's offensive holding the defense gets awarded 10 yards. But if there's defensive holding the offensive gets awarded 2 yards.

My change to the rule would be this:

Any penalty that occurs when the original line of scrimmage is outside of the 1 foot line and would move the new line of scrimmage into the endzone instead moves the new line of scrimmage to the 1 foot line.

Any penalty that occurs when the original line of scrimmage is at or under the 1 foot line and would move the new line of scrimmage into the endzone results in a TD or a Safety depending on the offending side.

In short: If you get a penalty that would move it to the endzone, instead you go right outside of it. If you get another penalty it's the same as if the team crossed into the endzone.

[CMRivdogs]

40 minutes ago, RedRamage said:

It's gotta be the off season if RedRamage is speculating about rule change, right? Well, here's another:

Let's get rid of the 'half the distance to the goal' on penalties. I always though this was majorly unfair. Imagine a situation where the offense is on the 3-yard line... backed up against their endzone. They do a hard count trying to get the defense to jump. What happens here? If the offense flinches it's a false start the offense loses 1.5 yards. If the defense screws up it's a 5 yard penalty. Now if the the offense tries it again and screws up they lose just .75 yards... but if the defense does they lose 5 yards.

Or consider the other end of the field. The offense just got a first down at the 4 yard line and runs a play. If there's offensive holding the defense gets awarded 10 yards. But if there's defensive holding the offensive gets awarded 2 yards.

My change to the rule would be this:

Any penalty that occurs when the original line of scrimmage is outside of the 1 foot line and would move the new line of scrimmage into the endzone instead moves the new line of scrimmage to the 1 foot line.

Any penalty that occurs when the original line of scrimmage is at or under the 1 foot line and would move the new line of scrimmage into the endzone results in a TD or a Safety depending on the offending side.

In short: If you get a penalty that would move it to the endzone, instead you go right outside of it. If you get another penalty it's the same as if the team crossed into the endzone.

Why screw around, if it's a penalty award the full yardage. If the offense crosses the line make it a TD. If the defense is moved back across the line it's a safty. None of this Half A@@ stuff

[RedRamage]

3 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Why screw around, if it's a penalty award the full yardage. If the offense crosses the line make it a TD. If the defense is moved back across the line it's a safety. None of this Half A@@ stuff

I guess maybe I figured that was too big of a chance and people might be more accepting of a "half measure" that didn't go right to to TD/Safety territory. But as I think about it... yeah... I mean sure, why not?

The biggest fear I guess would be a ticky-tacky penalty that gets a team a Safety/TD, but how is that any different than a ticky-tacky penalty that gets a team 1st down or even just 10 yards one direction or the other? We should change rules because we don't like the possibility of a questionable call giving a team a reward, instead we should work to reduce/eliminate questionable calls.

Heck if the concern is that much over ticky-tacky calls leading to TDs or Safeties, give the coaches a "super challenge" like they do in the UFL... only don't implement it the same way please!