New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - The Advocate Sean Payton believes changes to NFL's helmet rule will help

BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | JERICKSON@THEADVOCATE.COM AUG 28, 2018 - 3:43 PM

The NFL's rule prohibiting the lowering of the helmet to hit with the crown of the head has been a magnet for controversy around the league this preseason, generating enough of an uproar that the NFL's competition committee made some changes last week.

The New Orleans Saints have been unaffected by the rule through the first three preseason games.

Saints head coach Sean Payton is on the competition committee that put the rule together, and he believes the change was warranted.

"I think that the key and one of the objectives is to try to make the game simpler for the officials to officiate," Payton said. "I think that this past weekend, we saw a little bit of a change in the specific plays that we're trying to eliminate versus maybe some of the gray area plays where guys are playing football and trying to do the right thing, and their helmets collide."

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has watched some of the plays that generated controversy around the NFL, but without a flag on the Saints so far, he hasn't had much reason to worry about the rule.

Payton believes the rule will generate less controversy during the regular season.

"I said this at the beginning of the process, as we get into the season we're going to be better for the rule," Payton said. "I think it's going to be a little bit clearer and a little bit easier to officiate."