Offensive Lineman Geoff Schwartz Is Not Happy About The Outlawing Of Chop Blocking

The best way to get a DT to not hold us on double teams, is a chop block. Now there's nothing to stop them. Fun times.

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) March 22, 2016

There are dirty chop blocks. Those have been illegal. But legal ones are vital to the run game. And very rarely does it injure someone.

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) March 22, 2016

DL holding "can" be called but it's not. The umpire moved from behind the DL to behind us. So they can't see it https://t.co/nJmS8QX6wl

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) March 22, 2016

​Such an NFL decision. They are always one step too far ahead in maintaining their players safety. Sacrificing the integrity of the game well before it's necessary just so they can make sure their athletes have long successful careers. Don't they understand how hard it is to be an offensive lineman in this day in age? With all these defensive lineman holding all the time it's damn near impossible to create running lanes without potentially snapping an opponent's ACL by blindly hitting him below the knee. It's honestly getting embarrassing at this point. ANOTHER rule change to help the defense? Why don't they just allow them to play with an extra safety while they are at it? I can't believe they would continue to pander to the fans by creating less scoring. It's like they don't understand how hard it already is to put up numbers in today's NFL. So a couple guys get hurt in ways that are made completely avoidable by this new ruling. Couldn't they have just given them a stern warning and told them to only chop block safely before they instituted a rule that changes the entire dynamic of the game? How were the Giants supposed to get a ground game going with their mediocre running backs if Geoff Schwartz and his subpar co-linemen weren't allowed to dive at the legs of 300 pound men moving at full speed? You ever think of that NFL? Well, did ya?



P.S. This may shock everyone, but I am not exactly 100% versed in the NFL rulebook. If I had to put it another way I would say my understanding of it is that of an NFL official. I know, pretty lousy, right? I guess the point I am trying to make is that I thought chop blocking was always illegal. Like, I thought there was a penalty specifically called "chop block" and it gave the opposition 15 yards. If all this time there were legal chop blocks AND illegal chop blocks why didn't they just always refer to the former as "cut blocks". Seems like that would make the distinction more clear. On the other hand, it would make it far easier to officiate an NFL game, and that's pretty much the only thing worse than cutting down on the amount of lower body injuries in the NFL.