How 1994's pass-friendly rule changes saved a moribund league and created the modern NFL.

[crew1954]

1994 NFL rules: How a series of pass-friendly changes saved a moribund league and created the modern NFL | Slate

 

[mgteich]

Yup the rule was changed, Kraft bought the patriots, and Bledsoe was drafted. All these happened within a couple of years of each other.

In this "new" cap-restricted passing NFL, the patriots were contenders and in the SB within a couple of years.

No team has done as well as we have since the NFL became a passing league.

 

[hwc]

Sounds like an article written by someone who wasn't old enough to follow the NFL before 1994.

 

[SB39]

The biggest change to the quality of the game itself was speeding it up (something baseball would be wise to pay attention to). Before this, there was the 45 second play clock which only started once the ball was spotted. Then they made the play clock 40 seconds and started it immediately when the prior play ends. The cumulative effect is a lot less down time between plays.

 

[primetime]

The biggest change to the quality of the game itself was speeding it up (something baseball would be wise to pay attention to). Before this, there was the 45 second play clock which only started once the ball was spotted. Then they made the play clock 40 seconds and started it immediately when the prior play ends. The cumulative effect is a lot less down time between plays.

One reason I find college football hard to digest.

 

[SB39]

One reason I find college football hard to digest.

College football has the same rule. If you're criticism is their style of play is *too* fast, well I can't say I agree. I enjoy the no huddle, rush to the line offenses we see a lot of college teams employing.

 

[primetime]

College football has the same rule. If you're criticism is their style of play is *too* fast, well I can't say I agree. I enjoy the no huddle, rush to the line offenses we see a lot of college teams employing.

No, my criticism is that the games last too long because the clock doesn't start until the ball is spotted (on first down, at least).

 

[SB39]

No, my criticism is that the games last too long because the clock doesn't start until the ball is spotted (on first down, at least).

That's a separate rule which doesn't really affect things as much as you think. The college game has far more other concerns impacting their length of game. Longer halftimes, much more scoring and most frustrating the excessive amount of replay reviews.

 

[primetime]

That's a separate rule which doesn't really affect things as much as you think. The college game has far more other concerns impacting their length of game. Longer halftimes, much more scoring and most frustrating the excessive amount of replay reviews.

Yeah, that's certainly true. It's just another thing in a bunch of factors that make the college game too slow to watch a lot of the time.

The pro game has its moments of being too slow but it's almost always caused by the NFL's commercial insanity.

 

[patfanken]

Whether you agree or disagree with the article, I found it well researched and documented and it made me go HMMMMM. That's what good articles are supposed to do, make you think.

As a football die hard and a defensive scheme junky, I never felt there was anything wrong with the pre-1994 version of the game, so those negative comments he mentioned were enlightening.

For the record, my ONLY complaint about the new passing rules is when the flag is thrown because a receiver was a victim of INCIDENTAL contact. If I were on the "committee" , I would require that the ref determine that the defender had somehow impeded the receiver more than 5 yds down the field. THe same with PI, the ref would have to believe that the defender somehow interfered with the receivers ability to catch the ball before it arrived. Mere contact wouldn't and SHOULDN'T apply.

Also I often see receivers initiating the contact and still get flags. I'm happy they are supposedly looking more closely at offensive PI, though it doesn't seem to be resulting in many flags.

 

[patfanken]

Yeah, that's certainly true. It's just another thing in a bunch of factors that make the college game too slow to watch a lot of the time.

The pro game has its nmoments of being too slow but it's almost always caused by the NFL's commercial insanity.

2 points PT, IIRC doesn't the college game have a 25 second clock between plays? Wouldn't that make for a faster game? Secondly all those damned commercials are the reason the cap has risen over ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS in just 20 years. Hard to believer it used to be so low. Harder still to believe that 22 years before THAT, The approximately $15K minimum salary I was struggling to get looked so HUGE at the time.

 

[SB39]

2 points PT, IIRC doesn't the college game have a 25 second clock between plays?

While it seems most teams play as if that were the case, it isn't. Like the NFL it's 40 (though each league uses 25 when they are resetting the play clock after a stoppage in play or something like that)

 

[captain stone]

No, my criticism is that the games last too long because the clock doesn't start until the ball is spotted (on first down, at least).

I actually like that rule. It is perfectly logical that the clock should stop while the chains are moved.
I wish the NFL would adopt it.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Whether you agree or disagree with the article, I found it well researched and documented and it made me go HMMMMM. That's what good articles are supposed to do, make you think.

As a football die hard and a defensive scheme junky, I never felt there was anything wrong with the pre-1994 version of the game, so those negative comments he mentioned were enlightening.

For the record, my ONLY complaint about the new passing rules is when the flag is thrown because a receiver was a victim of INCIDENTAL contact. If I were on the "committee" , I would require that the ref determine that the defender had somehow impeded the receiver more than 5 yds down the field. THe same with PI, the ref would have to believe that the defender somehow interfered with the receivers ability to catch the ball before it arrived. Mere contact wouldn't and SHOULDN'T apply.

Also I often see receivers initiating the contact and still get flags. I'm happy they are supposedly looking more closely at offensive PI, though it doesn't seem to be resulting in many flags.

Ken - I agree. I haven't been watching football nearly as long as you and only have a fraction of the knowledge of the game, but I do remember reading articles in the early 1990s about the "demise" of the NFL and how it was lagging behind the NBA and MLB in popularity. How times have changed.

I think the article is wrong in that the rule changes weren't made explicitly to improve offense. First and foremost, the changes were made to increase excitement in the game - to generate more fan interest. Improving the passing game was one way to do that, since the game had a heavy defense/run tilt back then. Clearly their changes succeeded.

The rule changes noted in the article improved the passing game but they also were things to increase excitement. There were also 2 rule changes at that time which the article didn't mention, but factor into the point that it was an excitement concept, not just more offense concept:

1) Kickoff moved from the 35 to the 30. Explicitly to allow more kick returns - more excitement - and to give offenses better field position. Compare that to what happened with the recent change back.

2) The outright elimination of instant replay. Beforehand, replay could be used on anything and everything. It added a boatload of dead time to the game. It took forever to get replay back, and when they did, it was done in a limited manner with an emphasis that a decision needed to be made within 2 minutes. Eventually, they stopped caring about the 2 minute rule unfortunately.

The NFL's rule changes back then made the game safer and more exciting. Very few penalties were added as a result - just the additional QB protection for the most part. Unfortunately, the rule changes nowadays try to make the game safer, but also to make the game easier for Peyton Manning to win. Thus, ridiculous penalties, an extreme passing tilt, and generally less excitement because of it. I think the NFL needs to go back to that 1994 philosophy on rule changes and not the current philosophy.

 

[primetime]

Eventually, they stopped caring about the 2 minute rule unfortunately.

This is because replays are another chance for more commercials.

It's even better when it's

Touchdown under review -> commercial -> upheld, extra point -> commercial -> kickoff -> commercial

 

[SB39]

I actually like that rule. It is perfectly logical that the clock should stop while the chains are moved.
I wish the NFL would adopt it.

id definitely support that for inside 2:00 warning

 

[SB39]

This is because replays are another chance for more commercials.

It's even better when it's

Touchdown under review -> commercial -> upheld, extra point -> commercial -> kickoff -> commercial

there are a fixed number of commercial breaks. If your above scenario took place that means you probably just had about 13 minutes of uninterrupted game time prior.

 

[Batman]

SB39 is there a rule around how far apart the commercials must be. I know there is a limit on the number of commercial breaks or a set amount of time, hence why in the 4th quarter we can at times have very few commercials. As a viewer in the UK with gamepass we just get a "the game will return shortly" which is really annoying.

For me personally I started watching the game in 1996 so can't comment on the pre-1994 era but since I have watched it we have had some exciting O play and some great D. It's a shame when the D appears to be on the rise they move the goalpost for them.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

Though television ratings remained strong

So another words, the media invented a problem that the fans didn't have, and the NFL invented a solution that the fans didn't want.

 

[SB39]

SB39 is there a rule around how far apart the commercials must be.

I have many times seen a TD, extra point, full commercial break, kickoff then another full commercial break, which makes sense because oftentimes a TD comes after a long drive and the network needs to "catch-up" to their amount of allotted breaks.