NFL TO TACKLE MAJOR ISSUES
The initial flurry of free agency is over, and the draft is more than five weeks away.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t serious business to be done at the NFL’s annual meetings featuring owners, general managers and coaches.
What happens inside the meeting rooms of the swanky RitzCarlton resort could alter the way games are officiated come fall.
What happens in informal meetings between front office executives and player agents, many of whom flock to the hotel for face-to-face meetings, could end in new contracts.
A look at some of the key items to be addressed during the meetings, which run through Wednesday:
RULES CHANGES
Owners will consider 13 rules changes presented by clubs and the competition committee.
Among the most interesting proposals would be to allow the referee at a game to consult with a member of the NFL’s officiating department at the league office in New York.
“The referee will go to the booth and talk to the observer, but during that process, our command center in New York, headed by Dean Blandino, will already be reviewing the play,” St. Louis Rams coach and competition committee member Jeff Fisher said. “At the end of the day, what’s going to happen is we’re going to make sure that every single review is correct. And we feel like this will speed up the instant-replay process and timing.”
Several bylaw changes also will be considered, including changes to the size of the practice squad (eight to 10 players), increasing the number of players on the active game-day roster for non- Sunday or Monday games from 46 to 49, eliminating the roster cutdown from 90 to 75 players in the preseason and altering the injured-reserve rule to allow any player to return from the reserve list after six weeks.
The owners are not expected to vote this week on an expanded playoff field, nor is there a specific proposal related to the on-field use of racial slurs or other hateful language.
FUTURE SUPER BOWLS
The first cold-weather Super Bowl, held last month in New Jersey, was not a weather disaster, with a balmy kickoff temperature of 49 degrees. (Never mind the storm that debilitated the region a day later.)
Owners will review Super Bowl XLVIII as several teams in cold-weather locales with outdoor stadiums, such as the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, prepare to make bids to host the big game.
Owners won’t vote for the Super Bowl LII host here. Voting for the February 2018 game (the finalists are Indianapolis, Minneapolis and New Orleans) will happen in May. The next three Super Bowls will all be in warm climates: Glendale, Ariz.; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Houston.
IRSAY BUZZ
One of the NFL’s most prominent owners, Jim Irsay, won’t attend the meetings after he was arrested last week on suspicion of DUI and possession of a controlled substance.
The Indianapolis Colts announced last week that Irsay had checked into a health care facility.
Irsay has not been formally charged. A hearing is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday.
Irsay chairs the legislative committee and also sits on the finance and Super Bowl advisory committees that will meet here without him.
There likely won’t be any for- mal discussions about Irsay’s status, but this is a unique situation for the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell, who will face a decision about punishing Irsay.
SCHEDULE MAKING
For months, teams have known their 2014 opponents and which foes they will face at home and on the road.
But the dates won’t be released until sometime in April, and there will be plenty of lobbying for prime spots.
Among the most interesting matchups will be the annual kickoff game, typically hosted by the defending Super Bowl champion. The Seattle Seahawks should get the honor this year, and — unlike last year — there will be no conflict with Major League Baseball.
Last year, the Baltimore Orioles, who share parking lots with the Ravens, refused to move a home game, and the Ravens opened the season on a Thursday night in Denver (and lost). The Seattle Mariners, whose home stadium is next door to CenturyLink Field in downtown Seattle, are playing on the road that day.
WHEELING AND DEALING
The most prized free agents are mostly off the market, but the business of roster building isn’t over, and executives will meet with agents to talk about available players and the contracts of current players.
The Detroit Lions are expected to sit down with Jimmy Sexton, the agent for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
Suh, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft, counts $22.4 million toward the Lions’ salary cap in 2014, and a new long-term deal would not only lock up Suh for years to come but also give the Lions much-needed cap space immediately.
Sunday, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson acknowledged his team is keeping an eye on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who is expected to be either traded or released.