After the Steelers won their 4th Super Bowl in 1980 defeating the Rams, 31-10, Commissioner Pete Rozelle said to Art Rooney while presenting the Lombardi Trophy, "Art, we have got to stop meeting like this."
Rozelle wanted parity among the (then) 28 teams. The Steelers offense was just too tough for the rest of the League. True to his word, Rozelle came to the Rules Committee and requested greater restrictions on contact in the head, neck and face. Players were prohibited from directly striking, swinging or clubbing in these areas, a "personal foul." For player safety, blockers for the team receiving a punt or kick off and on field goals were prohibited from blocking below the waist (it had been below the knees, known as a clip). The zone in which crack back blocks were prohibited was extended from 3 to 5 yards on either side of the line of scrimmage.
Defenders were confined to bumping receivers only in a five yard area beyond the line of scrimmage- permitting fast racing backs to out maneuver their coverage. Furthermore, for the 1979 season, the protectors of passers were permitted to use extended arms and open hands to ward off rushers.
Brought up on the old rules, Steelers linemen had a difficult time adjusting.
