Don’t jump to conclusions
Proposal will nix leaping blocks
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
Watching former Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins leap over the line to block a Colts extra point a few years ago was one of the more scintillating plays during that season. Ditto Shea McClellin blocking a field goal against the Ravens this past year, especially given how pivotal that play was in the Patriots victory.
Well, such plays, even though exciting to watch, may no longer exist. The NFL will discuss a proposal at the annual spring meetings next week in Phoenix that would ban players leaping over the line of scrimmage on field goal and extra point attempts.
Player safety is at the forefront of the proposed move.
The way it stands, defenders are permitted to jump over their opponents on such plays so long as they do not land on another player or use their hands or arms to gain leverage. Clear the line, and it’s good.
The Patriots have been effective utilizing the play, but aren’t the only team having athletic jumpers. Seattle linebacker Bobby
Wagner blocked an Arizona field goal last year in a 6-6 tie.
Officials cited safety as the primary motivation to make the play illegal. During a conference call with the league’s competition committee, head of officiating Dean Blandino explained the rationale for wanting to eliminate the play.
“We’ve seen several examples where players have been flipped over, land on their head, their neck, and the potential for a serious injury certainly increases when you have a player in a vulnerable position who’s now going to be knocked off-balance and really can’t control the way they land. So I think that’s probably the biggest thing, and we have seen that on tape as to why the proposal will be voted on,” he said.
It was also noted that coaches are now gameplanning to defend leapers, which adds to the scenario Blandino described. The NFL Players Association voiced safety concerns with the play to the committee, while the specific proposal was made by the Philadelphia Eagles.
All 32 NFL owners vote on rule change, with 24 votes required for passage.
Move to celebrate
There were a few other matters of note during yesterday’s conference call. One deals with celebrations, something not usually a problem in Foxboro, the other with instant replay that was among the new rules, by-laws and resolutions on tap at the meetings.
Celebrations?
Troy Vincent, the NFL vice president of football operations, claimed the league was trying to get officials to “keep the flags on their waist” when it came to players celebrating.
“We want the players to celebrate, to be spontaneous,” Vincent said. “There are things, as we administer the game, we have to have some fine lines, and we just think clear examples are better, not just for our officials, but for our players and our coaches.”
Vincent said there’s been extensive talk about “what’s prolonged, what’s excessive . . . what’s acceptable, what’s not, there’s some acts we know don’t belong in our game.”
The league is developing an educational video with the goal of helping players understand appropriate and inappropriate celebrations.
“As a former player, I understand the spontaneous nature of a big play, and wanting to be excited and wanting to have fun with your teammates,” Vincent said. “But we just want to make the things that don’t belong in our game, to keep them out and frankly, we want the officials officiating the game, and not throwing flags because a guy is celebrating.”
Upon faster review
As for instant replay, a proposal from the Competition Committee would replace the sideline replay monitor with a hand-held tablet device. In other words, you’d no longer see referees go “under the hood” to watch a replay. They’d simply review the play from the sideline on a tablet similar to the one Patriots coach Bill Belichick famously smashed last season for not working properly.
The final decision would be made by a designated official monitoring from New York, likely Blandino.
“We’re not taking the referee out of the equation. The referee will still be involved,” Blandino said. “The referee will still be able to give input, but will no longer have the final say.”
The belief is this, along with several other proposed changes, will help speed up the pace of game.