- The NFL announced its list of rule changes proposed by teams to be voted on at the annual league meeting. The owners will meet in Palm Beach, Florida, from March 30 to April 1.
- Among the proposals are making the new dynamic kickoff permanent, banning the Tush Push play and changing the way teams are seeded for the playoffs.
- Each rule proposal requires 75% of the owners to vote “yes” to be adopted.
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NFL owners will have plenty to discuss at the annual league meetings, which kick off Sunday, March 30, in Palm Beach, Florida. Chief among the topics are several proposed rule changes that are making headlines.
How will kickoffs change?
The most recent proposal is to make the new “dynamic kickoff” alignment we saw last season a permanent fixture. The original kickoff change was made to improve player safety, but it also brought back some of the play’s excitement as fewer teams kicked the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
In addition to making the new format permanent, one tweak this year’s proposal would add is moving the spot of the touchback up to the 35-yard line instead of the 30. The head of the NFL’s competition committee, Rich McKay, believes the return rate will rise to between 60% and 70% if owners approve that small change.
Who wants the Tush Push banned?
The Green Bay Packers made headlines a week ago for officially proposing a ban on the Tush Push play, which the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles made famous and used with great success. The Packers say the quarterback sneak-type play should be banned in the name of player safety. Several NFL insiders report the ban doesn’t currently have the votes to pass.
What could happen to playoff seeding?
Another new rule from the Detroit Lions would change the way teams are seeded for the playoffs. Under their proposal, the No. 1 seed will still earn a bye and home field advantage, but after that, teams would be seeded by record, with no advantage given to teams that win their division. Last season, all three Wild Card teams had better records than the division winners, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.
Former Vikings safety Cam Bynum, now with the Colts, says he’s all for the change. His team would have been seeded third last year with 14 wins instead of fifth.
“No matter what, winning is hard to do, and if you can win 14 games in the regular season, you should be rewarded for that,” Bynum said. “You shouldn’t be held to the same standard as a 10-win team. No offense, but once you get to the playoffs, you have to win football regardless, but if you work that much to win 14 games in the regular season, I don’t see any reason you shouldn’t be rewarded when it comes to playoff time.”
How can replay assist become better?
The owners will also vote on beefing up the league’s “replay assist” feature. If approved, the on-site replay official will be able to reverse flags that are thrown for hits to defenseless players, face mask violations, horse collar tackles, tripping, and running into or roughing the kicker. The flag can be picked up if “clear and obvious video evidence exists.” The replay official will not be able to add a penalty to a play, only remove one.
In order to be adopted, each of these proposals requires a 75% “yes” vote from league owners. That’s 24 out of the 32 teams. The league meetings run from Sunday, March 30, to Tuesday, April 1.
