NFL Rules Change Again to Try to Hurt Pats: Players Must Wear Numbers at All Practices

[aluminum seats]

No more practicing in numberless jerseys for Bill Belichick's Patriots

Hard not to laugh, really.

It's to "ensure clubs are in compliance with workplace rules." Sure. Whaddya know, Belichick has preferred players not wear numbers in spring practices so they learn to communicate better. Gotta love Reiss' roundabout way of questioning it:

"Those with ties to the Patriots might take it one step further and wonder if it's another example of the NFL creating new standards specifically designed at trying to slow them down."

Yeah, one might wonder that. Keep trying, NFL. Gotta respect the hustle.

 

[The Brandon Five]

...and the erosion of my love for the game intensifies with each move they make.

 

[FCB02062]

they should all wear #1....or #69....or #0.0......or #19 3/4....that'd be funny

 

[Danger Zone]

they should all wear #1....or #69....or #0.0......or #19 3/4....that'd be funny

I think from the language that they probably have to wear their actual jersey numbers... but didn't see anything in there about how big those numbers have to be.

55

 

[VectorPrime]

This is so the media covering the practices can easily identify individual players and make it easier for fans watching said media footage to tell each player apart.

Not everything is some nebulous anti Patriots conspiracy.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I say Edelman and Amendola switch jerseys when practicing.

 

[Ring 6]

This is so the media covering the practices can easily identify individual players and make it easier for fans watching said media footage to tell each player apart.

Not everything is some nebulous anti Patriots conspiracy.

If the patriots are the only team not wearing numbers and they make the rule that teams gave tolerant numbers of course it is singling out the patriots.

 

[Froob]

And people are saying rules are rules and Patriots cheated again when this is a new rule...

 

[Betterthanmost]

BB should just make the numbers the same color as the jersey, when they change the rule specifying contrasting colors, then he just makes them so small you can't see from 2 ft.
Following the rule change, he should just use Chinese numbers.

 

[bbobbo]

This is so the media covering the practices can easily identify individual players and make it easier for fans watching said media footage to tell each player apart.

Not everything is some nebulous anti Patriots conspiracy.

it's not so much for the media and fans, but so that league official can catch cheating. i wouldn't be surprised if there were some rumors among other teams' GMs/coaches about why the Patriots practice without jersey numbers ("i'll bet the Patriots are practicing injured players!"), and someone complained to the league:

According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, it was instituted to “ensure clubs are in compliance with workplace rules” (e.g. injured players shouldn’t be participating) as it “will permit the league office and NFLPA to monitor player participation during on-field sessions.”

 

[RobertWeathers]

it's not so much for the media and fans, but so that league official can catch cheating. i wouldn't be surprised if there were some rumors among other teams' GMs/coaches about why the Patriots practice without jersey numbers ("i'll bet the Patriots are practicing injured players!"), and someone complained to the league:

Weren't the Ravens the #1 offender of injured players practicing?

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

they should all wear #1....or #69....or #0.0......or #19 3/4....that'd be funny

12.5.... at this point you just have to say FU to the whole system. What a crying shame. Its just focused on the casual, RaRa fan, who buys merch and who could care less about the actual dynamics of the game. "Yeah, we won".

 

[Jackson 2]

This is ball-busting, pure and simple...

 

[Ring 6]

The patriots filed an amicus brief in tom Brady's favor.
What else would the NFL do other than to change a rule to proving it sonething only the patriots do and then explain it is designed to catch teams cheating.
I smell the forfeiture of a draft pick coming.

 

[Galeb]

This is so the media covering the practices can easily identify individual players and make it easier for fans watching said media footage to tell each player apart.

Not everything is some nebulous anti Patriots conspiracy.

Which do you prefer, suspension or arch bridges?

 

[IcyPatriot]

What's next NFL installed child cams in the indoor facility to monitor hidden practicing?

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

This is so the media covering the practices can easily identify individual players and make it easier for fans watching said media footage to tell each player apart.

Not everything is some nebulous anti Patriots conspiracy.

Shouldn't that only be a concern when they are in an actual game? What's next, tell the media what plays their working on? It's absolutely a ball busting move by the NFL. The NFL does have a record of doing this crap. And I'm not being a paranoid, pitiful fan. It's documented. Even the average non Pats fans are starting to see it. Reiss even alludes to it.

 

[Ross12]

The most interesting thing to me is that ESPN allowed Reiss to publish such a statement.

 

[patchick]

it's not so much for the media and fans, but so that league official can catch cheating. i wouldn't be surprised if there were some rumors among other teams' GMs/coaches about why the Patriots practice without jersey numbers ("i'll bet the Patriots are practicing injured players!"), and someone complained to the league:

Yep, they're "trying to prevent abuse" -- a kind of abuse that previously nobody had worried or talked about at all.

We see this all the time in politics...when there's a sudden flurry of legislation to prevent a non-existent problem, there's ALWAYS an ulterior motive.

 

[ausbacker]

Yep, they're "trying to prevent abuse" -- a kind of abuse that previously nobody had worried or talked about at all.

We see this all the time in politics...when there's a sudden flurry of legislation to prevent a non-existent problem, there's ALWAYS an ulterior motive.

Don't be daft. This is about protecting the integrity of the game.