BOSTON (USA TODAY Sports) — Many of the NFL’s players and coaches have sounded off on the league’s revised helmet rule.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, however, said he isn’t worried at all.
"From my standpoint, there's really . . . it's not a change for us, for our coaching staff," Belichick said Monday in his weekly appearance on WEEI 93.7 in Boston. "We've never taught tackling with the crown of your helmet, putting your head down, leaning your body forward in that type of position. I don't think fundamentally that's a good position to be in. It's not effective.
"We've always tackled with our head up, eyes open, head back, so we can see what we hit. That's the only way I've ever coached. If we do it that way, we'll be within the rules."
The rule revision, which was adopted in March, prohibits any player – offensive or defensive – from using any part of the helmet to initiate contact with another player. Any instance results in a 15-yard personal foul penalty. In egregious cases, officials have the option of ejecting a player.
When asked about split-second decisions players must make to move their helmets and avoid initiating contact with them, Belichick indicated he thought it wouldn’t be an issue. "Fundamentally, we've never taught that in any technique," he said.
According to stats released by the NFL, there have been 51 helmet-use penalties in 33 preseason games, with 43 coming from defensive players and eight from offensive players.
Only one Patriots player, safety Jordan Richards, has been flagged for illegal use of the helmet, which came in Thursday night’s 37-20 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It doesn't matter whether I like the rule or don't like the rule," Belichick said. "My job is to understand the rule and coach it."
