NFL's New Rules: Is American Football Going Soft?

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the powers that be in the NFL are implementing new rules this season.  What are they?  And more importantly, how will the affect the way the game is played in the National Football League?

One the NFL's new rules is that defenders can no longer hit quarterbacks below the knee in the pocket.  This is no doubt in response to Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer's injury in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I hated seeing Carson Palmer go down, but this is NFL football, not some pickup game of touch football out on the schoolyard.  The defenders already can't go near the helmet of the quarterback, even accidentally.  Late hits are called all too frequently, often when the defender can't stop his momentum and accidentally grazes the QB on his way to the ground.  The offensive lineman attempt to drive defenders onto the turf.  Now that defender will be useless once the offensive line accomplishes that.  The league can't protect against every possible contingency, but it seems that is what the NFL is trying to do.  Plenty of great quarterbacks survived the NFL without this rule: Joe Montana, John Elway, Dan Marino, Joe Namath, the list goes on and on.  This is one rule that isn't needed in the NFL, one that shows the NFL is too soft when it comes to QBs.  Also, it seems the league will not distinguish between intentional and unintentional contact.