Not an official response but I'm not sure I buy this reasoning, Smith torpedoed him but didn't line him up? What exactly constitutes "line up"? All the ticky tack penalties that get called in the name of safety and this one's OK? Seems inconsistent.
Smith's hit on Bell wasn't a violation of new helmet rule | ProFootballTalk
"Per a league source with knowledge of the manner in which rules are interpreted and applied, Smith’s hit did not violate the new “crown of the helmet” rule. While the hit occurred outside the tackle box and with the top of Smith’s helmet, he didn’t “line up” Bell.
As the source explained it, the rule is intended to prevent players from taking a direct line at an opponent to deliver a battering-ram blow with the crown. Here, Smith didn’t."
