The NFL wises up and does away with what Joe Starkey accurately labels "one of the silliest rules in sports":
The NFL finally broke with tradition--tradition being, "Let's torture the defensive players again"--by making a rule change that could actually prevent some touchdowns.
They did it by rescinding one of the more ludicrous and aggravating rules in the history of professional sports--the dreaded force-out.
Until now, a referee could declare a pass complete if he determined that an airborne receiver would have landed with both feet in-bounds if only he hadn't been knocked out of bounds before he landed.
I've always hated the force-out rule. Besides limiting the defense's ability to take advantage of the limits of the playing field, it was an incredibly subjective call for an official to make. To make the judgment accurately would require an advanced degree in physics:
"Upon further review, we have postulated that the force, kinetic energy, and angle attack of the defensive player when applied to the mass of the offensive player resulted in the offensive player contacting the earth in a slightly different position then would have had the offensive player's descent only been impacted by his weight, velocity of takeoff, and the force of gravity. First down!"
Leave the wouldas behind and let them play ball.
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