When the league changes the rules of the game and how they will apply those rules, the coaches must adjust their teaching methods to the changes. Here is an example of Bill Belichick approach to the new rule changes regarding the "no push out" rule on receivers .
From the Boston Herald today:
Belichick did say the new rule might cause a difference in how the defenders attacked a receiver going for a ball by the sideline. "In the past you teach the defender to play more of the ball because playing the man doesn't really help you. If you knock the guy out of bounds and you get the force-out called then they will give him the catch anyways. So you might as well go for the ball. If you miss it, you miss it but the play is pretty much an out-of-bounds play anyways," Belichick said. "Now, I think there is a little more of the defender to play the man as opposed to the ball and try to knock the player out than try to knock the ball loose. Again, it is a very fine line. We certainly don't want to miss an opportunity on the ball over there but in that split-second judgment, I think that there are players that can play it a little bit differently in that situation."
This will be a good change of the rule. The subjective determination of whether a receiver could get his feet down always bothered me. It placed a critical play in the game squarely on an official's call, one that was not even reviewable. I clearly see this change as progress.
Original Story:
http://www.lombardionfootball.com/200...
