We all know that the National Football League rules the sports world, and while we all have some minor complaints, like the eroding shelf-life of a pro football player’s coherence, there’s not much that we’d like to change.
Then again, can’t everything stand some improving? (Outside of carrot cake, of course. the world’s most perfect food, you know.)
So when I’m not coming up with really bad Fantasy Football team names, or wondering what the 2016 NFL season will be like, I think of ways the NFL can improve by adopting some cool rules from other sports, like baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer and even rugby.
Sure, none of those sports can singularly top the majesty that is the NFL, but they each do have some really cool facets that the NFL might want to try out!
11 Fun Rules the NFL Should Adopt From Other Sports
Of course, I understand none of these will ever happen, and that really, each rule change would force a dozen other changes across the league’s constitution, but it’s fun to imagine!
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1/11
Two Intermissions Per NFL Game
Why do we have four quarters and two halves? I love the idea of three periods in a game, with two intermissions, like hockey.
The road team gets to choose which side of the field they want for both the first and third periods, players get two intermissions to regenerate some strength, and TV networks get more advertising during a second halftime. Everybody wins!
Photo Credit: Michael Zagaris, Getty Images
2/11
Home Team Kicks Off to Start Every Game
Just like in baseball, where the home team is on defense to start the game, but they go on offense in the second half (of each inning), NFL home teams should automatically get the ball kicked to them to start the second half of every game.
This one is doable, and it will force teams to be smart and play just like we do on Madden.
The home team can either break the momentum of a team they’re behind on the scoreboard and get their fans back into it, or the home team can try to put their foot on the necks of a team they’re beating.
Photo Credit: George Rose, Getty Images
3/11
Quarterbacks Wear Different Jersey Colors
It amazes me a little bit that this hasn’t happened yet in this day and age where quarterbacks are considered the lifeblood of the league.
Let’s do like they do in soccer and put the QBs in different jerseys. Granted, they’re in different jerseys in soccer to make it easier for the referees to watch for handballs. But this works for the referee’s benefit, too, helping them watch for illegal hits.
Photo Credit: Clive Rose, Getty Images
4/11
4-Point Line For Field-Goal Kickers
The American Basketball League introduced the three-point line to our basketball lives in 1961 before it became popularized with the ABA in 1967. It was meant to do two things – give losing teams a chance to get back into a ballgame faster and make the game a little more exciting.
Imagine if both sides of an NFL field had a gray line painted on the 38-yard line, making any 55-yard field goal worth four points. You’d also have to make a rule that teams that lose yardage in order to get back to the 38-yard line would not be allowed to kick it, or else we’d have some dumb play calls.
Stephen Gostkowski Photo Credit: Maddie Mayer, Getty Images
5/11
Penalty Box & Power Play
In hockey, when a player commits a penalty, they’re generally put into a penalty box on the sidelines for a short duration (usually two minutes), and his team is left with one man short, which means the other team is on a “power play” with a man advantage.
Whether it’s an offensive or defensive player that commits a personal foul penalty on the field, that guy goes into a penalty box (behind the visiting team’s goalpost!), and his team has to play shorthanded for the next four plays (or the end of that possession).
Photo Credit: Michael Martin, Getty Images
6/11
Scrums For PAT
With all these huge linemen on both sides of the ball, why not get a scrum going from the five-yard line rather than asking a kicker to do some work?
No passing allowed, though.
I imagine a team using their goalline players, with fullbacks and tight ends on the wings, with the ball being pitched back to a player like Adrian Peterson, refusing to go down, running behind the scrum.
Photo Credit: Marianna Massey, Getty Images
7/11
All Preseason Games Played In a Couple Areas of U.S.
There’s something magical about visiting Arizona or Florida in the spring, allowing you to catch several different teams in several different games over the course of a Spring Training weekend. The stadiums are a little smaller, the games aren’t quite as serious and the fans relax and enjoy the day.
For football, I’d propose having Preseason Camps in upstate New York for the east coast teams, Wisconsin for the Midwest, and Oregon for West Coast teams. Those regions are perfect for saying goodbye to the summer and hello to the fall!
Photo Credit: Jamie Squire, Getty Images
8/11
Free Throw For QBs After Illegal Hit
.jpg
If we’re not going to follow the NHL and put a player in a penalty box for an illegal hit on a quarterback, what if we follow the NBA instead?
A player gets fouled while attempting a shot and he gets a free try! It’s also like a Free Kick in soccer.
The way it would work is the ball is snapped, and five offensive linemen just stand up, as do the defensive linemen. They are essentially negated from the play.
But the running backs and receivers can run routes against the linebackers and defensive backs, and the quarterback gets to throw the ball within a 6-second window without any pass-rush. If it’s not thrown in six seconds, or if it falls incomplete, then it’s a dead ball. (The defense is not allowed to intercept it either; they can only knock it down.)
LeBron James Photo Credit: Rocky Widner, Getty Images
9/11
Inbounds Plays
In basketball and soccer, when the ball goes out of bounds, the other team gets to pick it up and throw it in.
Obviously, that won’t work with the NFL, where dozens of plays finish out of bounds every game. But what about those late-hit penalties when a player is running out of bounds and he gets smashed into a water cooler!?!
Give him the ball where he went out of bounds, and he can throw it (even if he’s not a QB!) without any player rushing him. (A defender is allowed to jump up and down in front of him, though, like in basketball!)
C.J. Brown Photo Credit: Greg Fiume, Getty Images
10/11
Replace the Pro Bowl With NFL QB Challenge
By the time the NFL Pro Bowl rolls around, we’ve already reached the climax of the NFL season (Super Bowl) and really, it’s just leftovers as we get ready for Spring Training.
Just like the MLB Home Run Derby, and the Skills Competition in the NBA and NHL, let’s do something similar at the end of the football season!
The old Quarterback Challenge from the ‘90s was fun to watch, and they even used to have other competitions for other positions. Let’s bring them all back for one weekend after the Super Bowl, and make it the greatest All-Star Game ever!
Gus Frerotte Photo Credit: Scott Halloran, Getty Images
11/11
The Designated Hitter
Warning: This is the dumbest of them all.
In baseball, one guy gets to skip playing defense, and only needs to worry about what he can do at the plate. He’s usually a slugger with the ability to swing for the fences on every play.
Imagine if NFL defenses could designate one of their defenders as their “Designated Hitter,” and no one’s allowed to block him – but he has to start the play 15 yards away from the line of scrimmage. He can only be played on third downs.
Sure, it goes against some of our earlier rules where we’re protecting quarterbacks. But just imagine the fear in a rookie quarterback’s eyes when a team brings in their Designated Hitter, after he’s been building up steam on the sidelines.
Steve Atwater Photo Credit: Mitchell Layton, Getty Images
1/11
Two Intermissions Per NFL Game
Why do we have four quarters and two halves? I love the idea of three periods in a game, with two intermissions, like hockey.
The road team gets to choose which side of the field they want for both the first and third periods, players get two intermissions to regenerate some strength, and TV networks get more advertising during a second halftime. Everybody wins!
Photo Credit: Michael Zagaris, Getty Images
2/11
Home Team Kicks Off to Start Every Game
Just like in baseball, where the home team is on defense to start the game, but they go on offense in the second half (of each inning), NFL home teams should automatically get the ball kicked to them to start the second half of every game.
This one is doable, and it will force teams to be smart and play just like we do on Madden.
The home team can either break the momentum of a team they’re behind on the scoreboard and get their fans back into it, or the home team can try to put their foot on the necks of a team they’re beating.
Photo Credit: George Rose, Getty Images
3/11
Quarterbacks Wear Different Jersey Colors
It amazes me a little bit that this hasn’t happened yet in this day and age where quarterbacks are considered the lifeblood of the league.
Let’s do like they do in soccer and put the QBs in different jerseys. Granted, they’re in different jerseys in soccer to make it easier for the referees to watch for handballs. But this works for the referee’s benefit, too, helping them watch for illegal hits.
Photo Credit: Clive Rose, Getty Images
4/11
4-Point Line For Field-Goal Kickers
The American Basketball League introduced the three-point line to our basketball lives in 1961 before it became popularized with the ABA in 1967. It was meant to do two things – give losing teams a chance to get back into a ballgame faster and make the game a little more exciting.
Imagine if both sides of an NFL field had a gray line painted on the 38-yard line, making any 55-yard field goal worth four points. You’d also have to make a rule that teams that lose yardage in order to get back to the 38-yard line would not be allowed to kick it, or else we’d have some dumb play calls.
Stephen Gostkowski Photo Credit: Maddie Mayer, Getty Images
5/11
Penalty Box & Power Play
In hockey, when a player commits a penalty, they’re generally put into a penalty box on the sidelines for a short duration (usually two minutes), and his team is left with one man short, which means the other team is on a “power play” with a man advantage.
Whether it’s an offensive or defensive player that commits a personal foul penalty on the field, that guy goes into a penalty box (behind the visiting team’s goalpost!), and his team has to play shorthanded for the next four plays (or the end of that possession).
Photo Credit: Michael Martin, Getty Images
6/11
Scrums For PAT
With all these huge linemen on both sides of the ball, why not get a scrum going from the five-yard line rather than asking a kicker to do some work?
No passing allowed, though.
I imagine a team using their goalline players, with fullbacks and tight ends on the wings, with the ball being pitched back to a player like Adrian Peterson, refusing to go down, running behind the scrum.
Photo Credit: Marianna Massey, Getty Images
7/11
All Preseason Games Played In a Couple Areas of U.S.
There’s something magical about visiting Arizona or Florida in the spring, allowing you to catch several different teams in several different games over the course of a Spring Training weekend. The stadiums are a little smaller, the games aren’t quite as serious and the fans relax and enjoy the day.
For football, I’d propose having Preseason Camps in upstate New York for the east coast teams, Wisconsin for the Midwest, and Oregon for West Coast teams. Those regions are perfect for saying goodbye to the summer and hello to the fall!
Photo Credit: Jamie Squire, Getty Images
8/11
Free Throw For QBs After Illegal Hit
.jpg
If we’re not going to follow the NHL and put a player in a penalty box for an illegal hit on a quarterback, what if we follow the NBA instead?
A player gets fouled while attempting a shot and he gets a free try! It’s also like a Free Kick in soccer.
The way it would work is the ball is snapped, and five offensive linemen just stand up, as do the defensive linemen. They are essentially negated from the play.
But the running backs and receivers can run routes against the linebackers and defensive backs, and the quarterback gets to throw the ball within a 6-second window without any pass-rush. If it’s not thrown in six seconds, or if it falls incomplete, then it’s a dead ball. (The defense is not allowed to intercept it either; they can only knock it down.)
LeBron James Photo Credit: Rocky Widner, Getty Images
9/11
Inbounds Plays
In basketball and soccer, when the ball goes out of bounds, the other team gets to pick it up and throw it in.
Obviously, that won’t work with the NFL, where dozens of plays finish out of bounds every game. But what about those late-hit penalties when a player is running out of bounds and he gets smashed into a water cooler!?!
Give him the ball where he went out of bounds, and he can throw it (even if he’s not a QB!) without any player rushing him. (A defender is allowed to jump up and down in front of him, though, like in basketball!)
C.J. Brown Photo Credit: Greg Fiume, Getty Images
10/11
Replace the Pro Bowl With NFL QB Challenge
By the time the NFL Pro Bowl rolls around, we’ve already reached the climax of the NFL season (Super Bowl) and really, it’s just leftovers as we get ready for Spring Training.
Just like the MLB Home Run Derby, and the Skills Competition in the NBA and NHL, let’s do something similar at the end of the football season!
The old Quarterback Challenge from the ‘90s was fun to watch, and they even used to have other competitions for other positions. Let’s bring them all back for one weekend after the Super Bowl, and make it the greatest All-Star Game ever!
Gus Frerotte Photo Credit: Scott Halloran, Getty Images
11/11
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