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Player safety is a growing concern in the NFL, and there seem to be new changes to the rule-book each offseason to make the game a little safer for its participants. Head injuries have attracted the most media attention, but leg injuries have also forced many players into early retirement.
The NFL Competition Committee is in discussions to potentially eliminate chop blocks from the game. If you’re thinking that chop blocks are already illegal, you would only be partially correct. The definition of a chop block is when an offensive player engages a defensive player below the waist while he is already engaged with another offensive player. According to the current rule, a player may legally do so on a running play if the offensive players are lined up side-by-side at the start of the play.
League sources told ESPN Insider Adam Schefter that the committee is considering a change that would completely take the dangerous low block out of the game for the upcoming season.
Seventeen chop blocks were called in the league last season, up from 10 in 2014. Those are 17 situations in which a player was left vulnerable and extremely susceptible to injury.
There have been a lot of rule changes that seem a little extreme, though this is one that all fans should get on board with. When a defensive player is already engaged, he’s unable to protect himself from a low block. His feet are planted, leaving him vulnerable to a devastating injury. If the league wants to slow down the growing trend of players retiring before the age of 30, they need to make changes so that players are more capable of protecting themselves. Injuries are part of the game, but it is still possible to help cut down on them while not taking away from the excitement of the game.
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