Best Year of the 1960s

[Bob Gill]

If I could change just one rule to bring a little more defense back into the game, I think I'd eliminate the "illegal contact" rule. Keep defensive holding, keep pass interference ... but I hate to see a penalty (and an automatic first down) called when a DB bumps a receiver six yards from the line of scrimmage and all the way across the field from where the play took place. I don't know how much impact that change would have, but I'd like to give it a try.

[Jay Z]

For the 2014 playoffs, I think the scores were about where they need to be. In the 20s is good. Most of the Super Bowls from 1970-77 came down to "one team can't score."

The rules are going to need to be tweaked from time to time because teams adjust and take advantage. Teams could have started playing zone defense earlier. I think the rules were the same from the 1960s to the 1970s, but teams started playing more zone, which let guys like Jack Tatum hang back more and clobber anyone coming over the middle.

Lots of players did headslaps and clothsline tackles, but in the 1970s it just went too far. Basketball has had the same issue. I'm glad they call inside contact fouls more often in the college game, so there can be more drives and legitimate shots in the lane. With heavy contact, every shot is a three pointer or a dunk. More variety this way.