Hines Ward could have still made that block effectively without leading with his helmet/shoulderpads/forearm to the guy's upper torso and head. That is pretty much just a cheap shot, and this new rule doesn't take away the ability to still get your job done.

The new rule against defensive players does though. The QBs and offenses seem to always get the upperhand in rule changes. You put Marvin Harrison in the game years ago, no way in hell does he catch that crazy amount of catches he does. They might as well tie a defenders hands behind his back when he he is going after the passer. It's just stupid. It is a tough game, and QBs need to be held to the same accountability as all other players. Like the idiotic slide rule. Players actually get hurt trying to avoid the QB when he slides. If he has the balls to take off down the field, he should have the balls to get hit square in the mouth like everyone else. Football is a tough game, and the "leader" of the team should have to prove he is the toughest of all.

People say that QBs going down early is bad for the game, like Brady this year. If Brady doesn't go down, the Matt Cassell story never happens. If Bledsoe didn't get hurt, the Patriots wouldn't have won all of those rings. But the NFL brass doesn't see it like that, so they make all these rules to protect their cash cows. I'm sick of it.

Mike Golic ran had a soundbit a few mornings ago about what the league will sound like in a few years...It was just a soundclip of a ref making a call. It was five or ten year penalty because a defender looked at the QB.