Rules, Bylaws, and Resolutions

The 32 NFL owners are in Orlando today through Wednesday for their annual Spring Owners Meeting. Voting on rules, bylaws, and resolutions will be on the docket. Football, in general, and the NFL, in particular, is an ever-evolving thing. That's how the game moved from flying wedges to RPOs. Football never rests. Changes to the catch rule will probably get most of the attention because people have been bitching about it for years. No matter how the rule is changed, simplified, whatever people will still bitch about it. Just catch the damn ball and leave no doubt. The annual changes to the game are usually subtle. Most won't notice a thing whether changes are made or not.

2018 Playing Rules Proposals Summary
1. By Competition Committee; Makes permanent the playing rule that changes the spot of the next snap after a touchback resulting from a free kick to the 25-yard line.

2. By Competition Committee; Changes standard for a catch.

3. By Competition Committee; Makes the penalties for Illegal Batting & Kicking the same.

4. By Los Angeles Chargers; Amends Rule 15, Section 2, Article 5 to add fouls for roughing the passer and fouls against players in a defenseless posture as reviewable plays in the instant replay system.

5. By Washington; Amends Rule 15, Section 2, Article 5 to add review of personal fouls as reviewable plays in the instant replay system.

6. By New York Jets; Amends Rule 8, Section 5, Articles 1-4 to change the enforcement for defensive pass interference.

7 By Competition Committee; Authorizes the designated member of the Officiating department to instruct on-field game officials to disqualify a player for a flagrant nonfootball act when a foul for that act is called on the field.

8. By Competition Committee; Conforms the amount of time in which a team must challenge a play if there is a television commercial break following the play in question.

9. By Competition Committee; Eliminates the requirement that a team who scores a winning touchdown at the end of regulation of a game to kick the extra point or go for two-point conversion.

10. By Competition Committee; If there is a turnover, a team may win an overtime game, even though it scores on its second possession.

2018 Bylaw Proposals Summary
1. By Competition Committee; Makes permanent the liberalization of rules for timing, testing, and administering physical examinations to draft-eligible players at a club’s facility.

2. By Buffalo; For one year only, amends Article XVII, Section 17.4 to liberalize the rule for reacquisition of a player assigned via waivers.

3. By Buffalo; For one year only, amends Article XVII, Section 17.6 to liberalize the
procedures for players placed on Reserve/Retired.

4. By Denver; Amends Article XVII, Section 17.16 to permit clubs to trade players from Reserve/Injured.

5. By Miami; Amends Article XVII, Section 17.1 to remove the requirement that a non-vested player be placed on waivers to be removed from the 90-player roster prior to the roster reduction to 53 players.

6. By Minnesota; Amends Article XVIII, Section 18.1 to replace the 10-day postseason claiming period with a 24-hour period.

7. By San Francisco, Arizona, and Los Angeles Chargers; Reduces the competitive equity that exists between teams who have morning body clock start times on long road trips.

8. By Competition Committee; Permits coaches to review video displayed on League-issued tablets on the sidelines and in the coaches’ booth.

9. By Competition Committee; A player who is designated for return is eligible to be activated after eight games, not eight weeks.

10. By Competition Committee; Lengthens the period to execute an Injury Settlement from five business days to seven business days.

11. By Competition Committee; Changes the deadline to reinstate players from certain Reserve List categories.

12. By Competition Committee; Updates Reserve/Military List procedures to reflect the current League calendar.

2018 Resolution Proposal Summary
G-1. By Washington; Allows opposing teams to receive the League’s postgame responses to any officiating inquiries submitted by either team.

G-2. By San Francisco; Requires all NFL stadiums by 2021 to have three separate and permanent locker rooms to be exclusively designated for female football staff on game days as follows: game officials, home club staff members, and visiting club staff members.

G-4. By Competition Committee; Permits a club to negotiate and sign a head coach candidate during the postseason prior to the conclusion of the employer club’s season.

G-5. By Competition Committee; For one year only, permits an interested club to contact a Vested Veteran before clubs have been notified of the player’s termination via the Player Personnel Notice if (i) the players is not subject to the Waivers System and, (ii) the employer club has publicly announced the player’s release.

The summary of the last proposed rule change (overtime scoring) is poorly written. That's no surprise. Even when explained in more detail it's still confusing. Let's just say that it gets rid of an improbable overtime loop-hole. This proposal will pass unanimously because if the improbable did happen one team and it's fans will be thrilled, without quite knowing why, but the rest of the football world would lose it's mind.

This is one of the few times in the football calendar when the 32 owners are in the spotlight.