The annual NFL league meetings kick off tomorrow in Orlando. Several things may or may not be discussed at these meetings. What will be discussed are 13 rule change proposals. 7 Bylaw proposals. And 1 resolution proposal.
Here are the 13 rule change proposals. I read somewhere that as many as ten of these proposals were proposed by the Washington Redskins. Little Danny Snyder is never happy.
1. Move the kickoff to the 40-yard line.
-This is ridiculous. Nearly every kick would be a touchback. Most kickers are booting it out of the endzone on a regular basis from the 35-yard line. If they want to get rid of the kickoff return, get rid of it. I'm against that as well but at least the Competition Committee and the owners would be honest about their intentions. It seems that the only thing keeping the kickoff in the game is the possibility that it provides for an onside kick. The kickoff return can be one of the more exciting plays in football. It's not more important than player safety but legislating it out of the game is missing the real problem. The momentum built up in kick coverage isn't much different than that built up in punt coverage. Yet, the league singles out kickoffs. There are high speed collisions all over the field. It's pretty much part of the game. The biggest problem isn't the kick return or the punt return. It's the desire of the players for that big hit. Players on kick and punt coverage are usually found at the bottom of a roster. A big hit is their big chance for the spotlight. Blowing up an opponent will put them on the highlight show. Better tackling fundamentals will do far more than moving the spot of the kickoff.
2. Expand instant replay to include personal foul penalties.
-I'm o.k with this. I worry about every call being taken from the officials but getting the call right is the top priority.
3. Eliminate overtime in the preseason
-This should have been done long ago. This should have done as soon as a preseason game ended tied.
4. Extend the goal posts an additional five feet above the crossbar.
-I actually laughed a little when I saw this proposal. I guess that it would be a nice change.
5. Move the scrimmage for one-point extra point kicks to the defensive team's 25-yard line. Two-point conversion attempts would still be snapped from the 2-yard line.
-I don't like it. I've never had a problem with nearly automatic one-point kicks. I hadn't even thought them as being a burden until some people started bitching about them.
6. Put six cameras on all boundary lines-sideline, goal line, end line, to guarantee coverage for replays.
-Seems like an excellent idea.
7. Permit a coach to challenge any official's decision, except scoring plays which are automatically reviewed.
-I'm for this simply to get rid of the discussions between the officials and the coaches as to whether a decision can be challenged.
8. Protect players from getting the sides of their legs rolled up on-the rule already says a blocker can't hit an opponent in the back of the legs, this proposal will add "or side" to the rule.
-It's nice to see defenders get some love.
9. Allow the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department during replay reviews. The referee would be able to speak with the command center in New York to help in reviewing a play.
-Anything that helps the officials get the call right is fine by me.
10. Re-organize the rules about what can be reviewed and what can not be reviewed, including making the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play reviewable. This has been called the Navorro Bowman Rule.
-This should be automatic.
11. Don't stop the clock on a sack.
-I never understood why it was stopped.
12. Modify pass interference so that it can be called within one yard of the line of scrimmage.
-With the 5-yard "chuck rule," I can see this one causing issues.
13. Enforce defensive fouls behind the line of scrimmage from the previous spot, rather than from the end of the run or from the spot of the foul.
-Works for me.
Bylaw Proposals:
1. Raise the number of active players on game day from 46 to 49 for regular-season games played on a day other than Sunday or Monday, excluding Week One.
-I see this as a pathetic attempt by the league to show that they care about the players well-being. Turning around and playing a Thursday NFL game on three days rest is brutal. Adding three active players doesn't change that. The NFL should get rid of the Thursday games. Except Thanksgiving.
2. Raise the practice squad limit from eight players to 10 players.
-Excellent idea.
3. Permit the clubs to trade players prior to the start of the league year.
-Fine by me. Teams agree on trades before the start of the new year anyway. Randy Moss to Oakland was known to all about three weeks before it was allowed.
4. Eliminate the cut-down to 75 players during training camp and instead just have one cut-down from 90 players to 53 players.
-There's something about cutting 37 players at once that sounds a bit extreme.
5. Permit more than one player to return to the active list from injured reserve so that any player on injured reserve could return after six weeks.
-Excellent idea.
6. Permit each club to time and test up to 10 draft-eligible players at its facility, and allow any club that wishes to attend timing and testing at another team's facility.
-I'm not so sure about having other teams attending a personal workout.
7. Adjust the time of the roster reduction from 53 after the fourth preseason game from 6pm Eastern to 4pm Eastern. All teams would have to have their list of final cuts in by 4pm.
Fine by me.
Resolution proposal:
1. Permit a home team with a retractable roof to open or close its roof at halftime, instead of having to determine at the start of the game whether it is open or closed.
Initially, I din't like the idea of changing the conditions during the game. However, I guess that it's really no different than the weather changing during the course of an outdoor game.
Apparently there will also be some discussion on playoff expansion. This topic is more a matter of "when" there will be playoff expansion rather than "if" there will be playoff expansion. I don't like the idea of diluting the playoffs. In this case, less is better than more. There will also be discussion on whether to penalize players for using the "n-word" during a game. I hate to think that we've come to the point where a flag has to be thrown to enforce respect on the football field.
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