The NFL isn't getting soft, it's getting scared. With all the attention paid to concussions and the life-altering effects they have had on previous generations of players the NFL really has no choice but to try to keep their players safer. The only way to do that is to flag anything and everything that looks like a dangerous hit.
Rule changes come along in every sport, players are going to have to adapt. I'll grant you there are a lot of plays where a defender gets flagged for a hit and I don't know what his alternative was. Football is a fast moving game and you can't plan every collision to avoid the head and land perfectly on the shoulder, meaning some of these flags are not necessarily the fault of the offending player. That being said possibly being considered soft is better than having to open your own hospital to care for all your retirees in vegetative states.
I think the real question is whether the flags are working. The intent is good but are players actually safer? Are concussions down? Will the life-span and quality of life for retired players improve? I don't have an answer to any of those, but those are the things the NFL should be worrying about, not a perception of softness.
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