Under the old rule, a player cited for targeting — using the crown of the helmet to tackle or initiating contact to the head or neck of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm or fist — was ejected from the game, with a 15-yard penalty assessed, pending a review from the instant-play booth
The problem: The team was still assessed a penalty even if replay overruled the targeting call on the field. How was that fair? It wasn't, and thus the rule has been amended.
The second change is designed to protect a defenseless quarterback in the pocket. Defensive players can no longer hit a quarterback below the knees when he is in the passing motion. Since targeting the head is also illegal, tacklers will be restricted to a specific area of contact. "People have said, ‘Do you have a strike zone for quarterbacks?'" Shaw said. "And there really is. Now you hit them above the knee and below the neck."
