Numerous new rules were added because of situations
The National Football League (NFL) began in 1920 and basically followed whatever college football did. The college game had a lot more teams and players and set the standard for the new sport. The game itself was new and morphed from rugby.
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As seasons fell off the calendar, the sport of professional football realized that many of college football’s rules did not suit them anymore. Rules need to be altered or changed altogether. Other conditions and situations arose that required new rules to be added.
There wasn’t a facemask rule until Cleveland Browns’ head coach Paul Brown invented the facemask. End zones were added because of the passing game. Goal posts were moved from the goal line to the back of the end zone because kickers were suddenly more accurate with much stronger legs.
A full slate of games brought forth circumstances that had never been seen before. And because of this, NFL owners studied these situations to determine if alterations were required and if so, what those changes would be. Brand new rules or modifications to existing ones were discussed at owner’s meetings and if deemed necessary, voted on to become part of the fabric of the league.
Over the decades, several rules became known for the player that caused the change. Here are the ones named after Cleveland Browns coaches and players, or are Cleveland-related.
The Sammy Baugh Rule
The 1945 NFL Championship Game played between the Cleveland Rams and Washington Redskins was played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on a day when the temperature hovered around zero. As was the tradition, the goalposts rested on the goal line.
The Redskins lost 15-14 by a soon-to-be-defunct rule. In the first quarter, Washington was inside their own five-yard line. QB Sammy Baugh dropped back and tossed a pass that hit the goalpost. The rule was a safety for two points. This gave the Rams a 2-0 lead and would prove significant at the end of the game. The next year, the rule was changed to an incomplete pass. In 1974, the goalposts were relocated to the back of the end zone.
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The Lou Groza Rule
The Browns began in the All-America Football Conference. Lou Groza was the team’s starting offensive tackle but was better known as their kicker. While in the AAFC, on field goal attempts, he would lay on the ground a two-yard-long piece of tape which he used to line up the football and the middle of the crossbars. He kept the tape in his helmet.
When the Browns merged into the NFL in 1950, the NFL banned the use of any artificial aids to assist in a kick.
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The Bill Belichick Rule
The NFL placed communication devices in the helmets of quarterbacks in 1994. There were conversations about adding speakers in a defensive player’s helmet as well. In 2008, the NFL owners passed that rule, but it was because of Belichick.
The former Browns head coach was now the head coach of the New England Patriots. At the time, hand signals were used to the defense. The proposal came after “Spygate” when Belichick and the New England Patriots were fined for secretly videotaping a New York Jets practice to learn their defensive signals.
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The Greg Pruitt Rule
At the University of Oklahoma, running back Pruitt wore tearaway jerseys in an effort to escape tacklers. The jerseys were 100% cotton instead of polyester and nylon. He brought this trend to the NFL when he was drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 1973 draft. After several years of dealing with these types of jerseys, the league decided to ban them in 1979. Pruitt admitted he wasn’t that upset about the change. Every time his jersey would tear he had to leave the field to dress in another shirt. Defensive players had a great strategy in that they would rip his jersey in a pile which forced him to leave the game.
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The Phil Dawson Rule
In the Week 11 contest against the Baltimore Ravens, Dawson attempted a 51-yard field goal with seconds remaining in the game. The ball hit the left upright, went over the crossbar, and then flew back onto the field into the end zone. The kick was ruled no good. However, the officials huddled to discuss the play. It was determined that the ball did go over the crossbar and struck the stanchion which is the rear curved support. Because the stanchion is located on the other side of the crossbar, any ball that strikes it is ruled good.
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The Jim Schwartz Rule
The Browns defensive coordinator was once the head coach of the Detroit Lions. The rules of tossing a challenge flag at the time changed because of Schwartz. In the 2012 Thanksgiving Day game against the Houston Texans, RB Justin Forsett ran for an 81-yard touchdown despite being down by contact. Schwartz threw a challenge flag. However, all scoring plays were automatically reviewed. The rule was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and the review was negated. The rule was changed to allow automatically reviewed plays to still be reviewed even if a challenge flag is mistakenly thrown.