The NFL’s new helmet rule already has created plenty of controversy. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer added to it Monday.

Zimmer said if a suspect call is made this season and it costs a team a game, it could result in severe consequences.

“It’s going to cost some people some jobs,” Zimmer said. “Playoffs, jobs, the whole bit, I’m guessing.”

The NFL has instituted rule changes and new interpretations of rules in an effort to improve safety. The most controversial change has been a rule penalizing players for lowering their head and leading with their helmets.

The Vikings have not had such a penalty called on them in two preseason games. The Jacksonville Jaguars were assessed two in their 14-10 exhibition victory over Minnesota on Saturday at the U.S. Bank Stadium.

The first came when Jaguars linebacker A.J. Bouye was flagged for a hit on Vikings fullback C.J. Ham. Even though the penalty wasn’t called against his team, Zimmer took exception to it.

“(Bouye) is tackling him around his legs and he had his head to the side for the most part,” Zimmer said. “I actually sent that (to the NFL office) to ask them, ‘Why was this called?’ Then you see other plays, because I go through the tape with the other coaches. I said, ‘I wonder if this is a penalty.’ … It’s just hard to figure out.”

Zimmer was asked if perhaps officials are calling the rule more closely in the preseason than they will in the regular season.

“No one has ever said to me, ‘Hey, don’t worry, we’re going to call less,’ or ‘We’re going to straighten this out in the regular season’ or ‘We’re going to come up with a revised rule,’ ” Zimmer said. “Sometimes, with the illegal contact (rule) a few years ago, in the preseason there were hundreds of flags and then they backed off of it a little bit. I don’t know if that’s what they’ll do.”

Vikings safety Harrison Smith and nose tackle Linval Joseph both agreed with Zimmer that a suspect call could change the outcome of a game.

“Without a doubt, that is going to happen,” Smith said. “If you get a big sack, that changes field position, that changes maybe getting a guy out of field-goal range, get them on third and long or something like that, or get off the field at third down. (A penalty could result in) a whole new set of downs.”

Joseph said “any team can lose a game” with a “sack that is miscalled.” Nevertheless, Joseph said he can’t be any less aggressive because of the helmet rule.

“If you try to adjust too much or overthink the new rules, you’ll give up a lot of big plays, too, and you’ll get exposed another way,” he said. “I’m just going to keep doing my job, and hopefully everything will be fixed by the time the (regular) season starts.”

Zimmer said one Vikings player slowed up on a play Saturday because he perhaps was “afraid to get a penalty.” Vikings defensive end Brian Robison called the helmet rule “confusing” and said there could be a risk of a player being injured if he slows up. Related Articles The Loop NFL Picks: Week 3

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Smith said he’s all for improved safety but that some calls in preseason games haven’t made sense.

“When (a tackle is) egregious, the head down, the linear posture, those, yes, I get it with those,” Smith said. “There are other ones that I think from a rational standpoint, they don’t make sense. I think those need to continue to be worked on. Otherwise, it is going to be almost every play.

“We’re not resistant to these changes, they just need to be physically possible. … League-wide, it seems to be a consensus that it is a little over the top right now.”

The NFL also plans to call roughing the passer more when a defender doesn’t roll off the quarterback in what is believed to be a suitable manner. Vikings linebacker Antwione Williams got such a penalty Saturday, but Zimmer said that one wasn’t a huge deal.

“Now, the helmet thing, that might be a big deal,” he said.