History of Rules in the NFL

- Rules the Independents used are Highlighted

Pre 1894
- Game length of 90 Minutes.
- Field Length of 110 yards with no end zones and 53 yards wide.
- Goal Posts 18.5 feet apart with a crossbar 10 feet high.
- Goal Posts stood on the Goal line.
- Field Goal was 5 points.
- Touchdown was worth 4 points.
- Goal After was worth 2 points.
- Safety was worth 2 points.
- Kickoffs did not have to travel 10 yards, so the kicking team often would nudge the ball and pick it up and run with it.

1894
- Flying Wedge plays were banned, players could not move forward until the ball was snapped.
- Game length reduced to 70 minutes.
- 3rd Referee a Linesman was added to the Referee and Umpire.

1897
- Touchdowns are worth 5 points.
- Field Goals are worth 5 points.
- Goal Kick is worth 1 point.

1906
- Forward Pass is legalized.
- Forward pass could not be over center (or with 5 yards to the left or right of center) and if the pass was not caught the defending team took possession at the spot of the pass.
- A Forward Pass over the goal line that was not caught was a touchback and the ball went to the defending team at the 20 yard line.
- Neutral Zone created.
- First Down must be reached in 3 plays and the length was increased to 10 yards from 5.
- Time of game reduced from Seventy minutes to Sixty minutes with two 30 minute halves.

1909
- Field Goals are worth 3 points.

1910
- Passer was allowed to throw over center.
- Passer must pass from at least 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage
- The pass could not travel more than 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

1912
- Touchdowns are worth 6 points.
- Field Dimensions set to 100 yards long with 10 yard end zones.
- First Down must be reached in 4 plays instead of 3, still 10 yards.
- Forward Pass limit of 20 yards was removed.

Other Rules of Note
- Coin toss to determine Defending and Receiving Teams.
- After a team was scored upon, they had the decision to kick or receive the ball.

1927 - Rock Island Independents Franchise Denied by NFL.

1933 – Rules were changed to allow for a more offensive game…
- Forward pass could be thrown from anywhere behind the line, not just 5 yards back.
- Goal Posts were moved up to the goal line.
- The ball was put in play 10 yards from sideline when the ball was down within 5 yards of the sideline.

Many thanks to "Pigskin - The Early Years of Pro Football" - Robert W. Peterson and the OxfordUniversity Press.

Chicago, Oct. 8 – That the present football rules are meeting with popular approval of fans and those who teach the game was shown at a recent meeting of Eastern coaches and officials in New York city. The rules were taken up in order that a uniform interpretation could be drawn, and only two points of note came up for discussion.
The angle which caused most discussion regarding a forward pass being caught by a play as the ball strikes the goal posts. Section 5 of rule 19 reads:
“If the ball, after having been legally passed forward, strikes the goal posts or crossbars , before or after it has been touched by any eligible player and before it strikes the ground inside the end zone, or any obstruction or spectator in the end zone, or if it crosses the end line or side line extended before touching the ground, it becomes dead and shall found as a touchback to the defender of the goal.”

Not to go as Touchback It will readily be seen from the foregoing rule that any ball which strikes the posts from a forward pass would be dead and touchback would result. No provision is made for the ball coming in contact with the posts after it has been caught by a player or if the catch and ball hit the posts at the same time. Ordinarily the proper thing to do in such case would be to call the ball dead and give the defenders of the goal a touchback. The point was weighed from every angle and it finally was agreed to allow the catch to stand the same as if it was made in the midfield and not take into consideration the fact the ball hit the posts.

Fumble If Dropped. Those who were opposed to amending the rule then brought up the point of what would happen to the ball in case the man dropped it, because of his collision with the posts. Some thought it then would be ruled an incompleted pass, while others thought it should be a plain fumble, providing the catcher momentarily held the ball. This is a delicate point and may happen only once in a season, but it might occur in an important game. Coaches and officials should take notice of the Eastern ruling so that all will share opinions on the point. The other point was in regard to the resumption of time after the infliction of penalties for incomplete forward passes. Some thought time should be started when the ball is actually out in play. It finally was decided to resume playing when the ball was put in play and not on the whistle.

Clipping Is Unsportsmanlike. Clipping or knocking down opponents after the ball is declared dead should be discouraged, according to the meeting. Taking players off by hard interference when the ball is in play is considered good football, but it is a simple matter to knock a player down when he is relaxed and is in no position to stand the brunt of a hard interferor. It was agreed to discourage this feature as far as possible.

Side line Coaching and the sending of substitutes to give information also was discussed and all agreed to discourage the practice and place the teams on their own resourcefulness when they are on the field.