NFL making some changes
PHOENIX, Ariz. – NFL owners on Tuesday followed the competition committee’s advice almost exclusively in approving eight new playing rules for 2017.
Probably the most impactful is switching ultimate decision-making responsibility on replay reviews from the in-game referee to the league’s central review operation in New York City, as other pro sports leagues have done.
Referees will still be consulted on each coach’s challenge or review, now via the use of a handheld tablet rather than via a TV screen under a hood, farther off the field.
Starting with preseason games in August, one of three men on any given game day will render all replay verdicts: Senior VP of officiating Dean Blandino, senior director of officiating Al Riveron, or one of the NFL’s officiating supervisors.
The move is intended to bring more consistency to controversial plays, such as what constitutes a catch.
That rule, like six of the other seven passed, was proposed and endorsed by the league’s influential 10-man competition committee. The likeliest rules to pass always are those proposed by this group, which this year added two members (Denver Broncos GM John Elway and Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians) to the returning eight of Atlanta Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay, New York Giants co-owner John Mara, Dallas Cowboys executive Stephen Jones, Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy, Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, Houston Texans GM Rick Smith, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
The lone rule passed of the seven proposed by clubs, either individually or jointly, was Philadelphia’s to prohibit the “leaper” blocker of placekicks. That is, the uber-athletic defender who tries to perfectly time a leap over the long snapper and into the backfield to block a field goal or PAT attempt.
The competition committee endorsed this proposal on safety grounds, because kicking teams eventually countered the clever ploy by having either the long snapper or an adjacent guard try to flip the leaper as he flew over their heads.
The committee proposed the other six rules passed by owners on the last full day of the league’s annual meeting at a posh resort hotel:
experimental rule to eject a player after picking up his second unsportsmanlike-conduct foul.
season last year’s rule to bring the ball out to the 25-yard line, instead of the 20 as previously, following touchbacks.
protection while running pass routes, as previously a defensive back or linebacker could blindside an unsuspecting receiver when the pass went elsewhere.
by a backfield player in motion, even if he’s not more than two yards outside the tackle when the play begins.
commit multiple fouls during the same down in a designed attempt to manipulate the game clock (this, after the Baltimore Ravens last season brilliantly burned the final 11 seconds off the clock, and sealed a victory, by having their punter dance around unmolested in his own end zone while every other Ravens player egregiously held or tackled a defender, and legally so at the time, as games can only be extended by penalty when the defence commits a foul.)
time illegal after the two-minute warning of either half.
Similarly, the competition committee’s three by-law proposals all passed, while three club by-law proposals did not. The three that passed:
for timing, testing and administering physical exams to draft-eligible players at a club’s facility.
a player on either the reserve/physically-unable-toperform or reserve/non-footballinjury-or-illness lists to active staCALGARY tus, to equate to those for returning a player on the reserve/designated-to-return list. during training camp and preseason a list of all league transactions.