PHOENIX -- The business discussed at the NFL annual meeting will affect how the game is played and officiated for the upcoming season.
Of the 17 proposed rule changes, the one that's caused the most discussion in the halls of the Arizona Biltmore would make roughing-the-passer penalties reviewable. However, this proposal was not approved by NFL owners.
Mike Tomlin, a member of the competition committee, shared his own view on the proposal while speaking with reporters Monday morning.
"We looked at a lot of it. We analyzed it because it is a hot button topic," Tomlin said. "There’s a lot of emotions when those flags fall on the ground, because usually, it's a significant play and often occurs in significant moments. But based on the analysis of what we saw, man, I respected the level of officiating that the play was given. Sometimes our reactions are just that: emotional."
Rich McKay, Falcons CEO and chairman of the competition committee, helped explain the difficulties that come with putting roughing the passer under the microscope of replay. Even beyond the disaster of the one season in which defensive pass interference was reviewed, going down that path of sending a judgement call to the scrutiny of review is simply not something the league is interested in right now.
"There's a lot of issue that go into it," McKay said. "It is a dramatic and almost drastic change of officiating, taking it from the field and up to the booth."
Art Rooney II was obviously in the meeting in which the roughing the passer rule was discussed and ultimately rejected. He was one of the owners against the idea of putting any penalty under the scope of review, and that's a common theme among owners here at the annual meeting.
"I think there's a resistance, in general, to having fouls be reviewed, including myself. I'm resistant to that," Rooney said. "I think that's probably the biggest part of it. Plus, there's just so much subjectivity into the call, I don't know that replay adds much to getting it right, to be honest."
The rule and bylaw changes that were approved Tuesday afternoon:
• Players can wear zero (“0”) as a jersey number, and kickers and punters to wear any jersey number between 0-49 and 90-99.
• Following an instant replay reversal, the play clock will be now be adjusted consistently with other timing rules.
• The replay official will now have jurisdiction to review failed fourth-down attempts.
• The definition of a launch has been changed to leaving one or both feet.
• The tripping penalty is now a personal foul.
• The penalty for illegally handing the ball forward is now consistent with other illegal acts, such as illegal forward passes.
• The penalty for illegal punts, drop kicks, or placekicks is now consistent with other illegal acts, such as illegal forward passes.
• Offenses are now prevented from benefitting by an extension of the half as a result of their foul.
• The language regarding the use of the helmet against an opponent has been clarified by removing the “butt, ram, spear” language from Article 8 and incorporating those actions into Impermissible Use of the Helmet.
• The claiming period has been changed to Monday for players who are waived on the Friday and Saturday of the last week of the regular season.
• Strength of victory is now the second tiebreaker for awarding contracts through the waiver system.
• The rules for postseason signings have been adjusted to account for standard elevations rule, and to freeze postseason rosters at 4:00 p.m. on the Wednesday following the last week of the regular season.
Regarding players wearing the number zero, this is the first time the NFL has permitted this since 1973. McKay said there was virtually no discussion before the owners approved it by a wide margin in the vote.
Some rule and bylaw proposals have been tabled for the time being, including the Eagles' proposal that allows a team to maintain possession of the ball after a score by substituting one offensive play (fourth and 20 from the kicking team’s 20-yard line) in lieu of an onside kickoff attempt.
When the owners reconvene in May, they will also discuss more plays regarding special teams plays, including proposals to put the ball in play at the receiving team’s 25-yard line when a touchback occurs from a punt, and put the ball in play at the receiving team’s 25-yard line if there is a fair catch on a kickoff or safety kick behind the receiving team’s 25-yard line.
Another tabled issue is the emergency third quarterback, which is quite popular among the owners and competition committee. However, how it's executed is one of the key reasons why the proposal has been tabled.
"There's a question of should that third quarterback rule apply to the practice squad player or only a player on the 53," McKay said. "There's definitely a difference of opinion in the room when it comes to that."
McKay added that the third quarterback rule change could be something that ends up getting approved before the season begins.
An interesting resolution change also made here at the owners' meetings is a change to roster cutdowns. Instead of multiple dates throughout the preseason to trim the roster from 90 to 53, there will now be just one date. This year, the one roster cutdown will be Aug. 29.
The NFL also announced Tuesday that the proposal for flex scheduling Thursday Night games has been tabled until May. The owners did, however, approve that teams will be able to play two Thursday Night games in a season.
Rooney was supportive of allowing teams to play two Thursday Night games, but not in favor of the flex scheduling for it.
"The proposal was that (teams) only had 15 days notice," Rooney said. "That's just too short of a turnaround time for a flex from a Sunday to a Thursday, as far as I'm concerned."
