We know old contact rules benefitted defenders but....?

Question

did they actually shadow how great older reciever were?

Yes another one of my "make you think" questions. I am not sure when they started such DB-WR contact rules, but I know that many old famous defenders -- such as my favorite Dick "Night Train" Lane - - would likely not have fared as easily if they could not play as physically as they did.

However would old reciever be EVEN better had they played under the rules of today that did not allow them to be touched after 5 yards (and other more specific ones that may exist)? And if so, how much better (would names who we may have rated as B+ or A- guys become up there with the likes of Tim Brown, Chris Carter, James Lofton, and dare I say.....Jerry Rice?

********

When did this rule come to be?

NVM, I found out 1978 (meaning Rice was never in the old rules --which I had assumed when I wrote the Q ---all those names I mentioned were refering to greats AFTER most contact was outlawed).

Answer 1

There's no question that the rule change only allowing contact within the first 5 yards helped open up the passing game in the NFL, but it probably would have opened up anyway.

Rice would still have been good, but not as good as he was with the advantage given to him by the rules changes. In my opinion, receivers who typically go 6-2 and up don't continue to need an advantage over 5-11 cornerbacks. I can't even imagine how good Harold Carmichael would have been had he had the rule in place throughout his career.

Answer 2

The NFL needs to go back to the old rules. The way the game is played today is like basketball on cleats.