San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan is, like many in the NFL, struggling to get a read on the new helmet rule.
Shanahan said after two of his players were penalized on Saturday for lowering their helmets to initiate contact that he is having a hard time understanding it.
“We’re all still trying to figure it out,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan is hoping the rule can be fixed.
“Everyone feels the same. We’re all just hoping we eventually fix this and figure out what we can do about it,” Shanahan said. “It’s something we’re all struggling with right now.”
With the regular season less than three weeks away, it’s hard to believe any fix is coming in time. Players, coaches, officials and fans are going to start the season not fully understanding this rule that the NFL’s owners decided to impose on the players. Perhaps players like Richard Sherman and coaches like Shanahan should have had more of a voice in crafting the rule, so that it could be understood by the people who need to understand it.