I like what this player had to say (or tweet I guess) later in MMQB:
Four-Part Tweet of the Week
"Every ump I have talked to this offseason hates the new rule where they have them. All of them felt the way fb players do. Injuries are part''
"Of the position they ref at. One also told me that the comp comm changed the rule without consulting one ump. (Although I'm sure Perrera''
"Had a say) loved what Tirico said. Put a helmet on them if they are concerned. Don't change the way the game is played. Altho if it pisses''
"Manning off, I could learn to deal with it. LOL''
-- @ericwinston, Texans tackle Eric Winston, on the rule moving the umpires from a linebacker's position to about 14 yards behind the offense to avoid umps getting beat around like pinballs.
"djcubez" wrote:
I always found it odd that refs were almost always old, unathletic men. I mean, their job is to keep up with some of the most well-conditioned athletes in the world.
1. I can believe that the refs hate it. It makes their job more complicated, having to switch their field position at a certain point in each half, and it puts them in the way of the offensive players. When you're a ref, you don't want to be on camera.
2. I can also believe that the rule change was made without consulting the refs. This strikes me as another example of the NFL trying to look like they are doing something about injuries, like the new helmet-less rule.
3. Tirico's suggestion to put a helmet on the umpire was kind of silly. Head injuries are only a small part of the problem.
4. I think the issue is not what Peyton Manning thinks, it's whether the rule improves the game or takes something away from it. I think it takes something away from it.
Maybe part of my problem is the "trying to catch off guard" part as a general strategy for playing football. It's from the land of finesse. Football isn't about tricking the other side. Its about lining up and beating the best, not finding a way to ensure the other side can't show their best.
"Wade" wrote:
The hurry-up offense (outside of the two-minute drill) has been a prominent part of football strategy in the NFL for the past 25 years or so. Most fans like it. It does not necessarily reward finesse; it rewards meticulous planning and quick thinking. It seems archaic to suddenly have the players standing around waiting for the refs to get out of the way. The refs should be as inconspicuous as possible.