NFL owners have passed four player safety rules for next season. One of them is the elimination of blindside helmet-to-helmet blocks.

The changes came Tuesday at the NFL meetings in California.

The new rules state that the initial force of a blindside block
can't be delivered by a helmet, forearm or shoulder to an
opponent's head or neck. An illegal blindside block will bring a
15-yard penalty.

Initial contact to the head of a defenseless receiver also will
draw a 15-yard penalty.

On kickoffs, no blocking wedge of more than two players will be
allowed. Also, the kicking team can't have more than five players
bunched together pursuing an onside kick.

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