
COMPETITION COMMITTEE ADDS TO RULE PROPOSALS
The NFL owners will have a handful of additional rule changes to mull over at their annual meeting from Sunday, as the Competition Committee has added a few ideas of its own to those put forward by teams last week.
The biggest of all concerns further tweaks to the ‘dynamic kickoff’ procedure introduced last season, with the Competition Committee seeking to make the process permanent but with modifications to the alignment requirements for the receiving team’s players, changing the dead ball spot after a touchback to the 35-yard line if the ball lands in the end zone or goes out of bounds behind the receiving team’s goal line. The call is designed to further increase the opportunity for kick returns by prompting kicking teams not to send the ball out of reach of returners lest it be spotted closer to halfway on resumption of play.
The kicking game proposals would also change the alignment requirements for the kicking team on an onside kick and, perhaps most crucially, permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game if trailing its opponent.
The Competition Committee also proposes to expand Instant Replay’s ability to advise on-field officials on ‘specific, objective aspects’ of a play and/or to address game administration issues when clear and obvious video evidence is present.
Away from the field, the committee seeks to permit clubs to designate two players for return at the roster reduction to 53 players and, for those lucky enough to make the postseason, permit two additional DFRs, thereby increasing the maximum from 8 to 10.
Finally, and probably of least concern to fans, there is a proposal to amend Article XVIII, Section 18.5 of the Constitution and Bylaws, by inserting point differential as the third tiebreaker when it comes to awarding contracts.
All proposals must be passed by 75 percent of the membership, or 24 of the 32 teams.




