The NFL’s annual Spring Meeting will be dominated by another round of discussion over proposed changes to the rulebook, with multiple amendments being presented to owners in Minnesota.

The headline-grabber, as expected, is another attempt by the Green Bay Packers to see the infamous ‘Tush Push’ — created and perfected by the Philadelphia Eagles and envied by all 31 of their opponents — on the grounds of ‘player safety’ and ‘pace of play’.

The Packers have delved deep into NFL history for their latest bid to outlaw the play, drawing on rules that date back to the early days of the game to prohibit offensive players from ‘physically assisting the runner’ — in the current case, Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts or whoever is under center for Philly — by means of pushing, pulling or lifting him in an effort to cross the plane of the goal line. ‘Interlocking interference’ would be prohibited, meaning that the only assistance for the runner would have to come from standard blocking procedures. The amendments calls for a 10-yard penalty for any violation.

Previous attempts to have the ‘Tush Push’ outlawed were tabled during the previous owners meeting, allowing time for the latest amendments to be drawn up.

It is a similar story for the other proposed rule changes under consideration across the two days of the meeting, with the alignment and movement of players during various kicking plays coming under the microscope. It is suggested that specific ‘restraining lines’ be defined for players on both the kicking and receiving teams, with players having to ‘maintain proper formation and positioning’ during kicks, subject to a five-yard penalty.

The principal alterations to the wording call for six, rather than seven, players to be lined up with their front foot on the receiving team’s restraining line and, if the receiving team elects to have more than nine players in the setup zone, at least seven, rather than eight, must be lined up in that way. For remaining players not on the restraining line, the receiving team may have a maximum of three players in the setup zone, but never more than one player in each of the three areas within the setup zone bordered by the sidelines and inbounds lines (see illustration).

The proposal also calls for the dead ball spot for a kick unable to be fielded in the landing zone to be moved to the 35-yard line, instead of the 30, and onside kicks to be permissible at any time during the game, instead of being confined to the fourth period.

Detroit’s push for a changes to playoff pairings and seeding will get another airing in the state where it was felt most harshly last season, with the Minnesota Vikings having to play their Wild Card game on the road despite posting one of the best records across the regular season. The latest amendment proposes changes to the playoff structure, allowing teams that do not win division titles to be seeded higher than division champions with poorer records. The reasoning behind the amendment ‘aims to enhance competitive equity and excitement in the postseason’ by rewarding the best-performing teams across the year.

In the revised scenario, the seven postseason participants from each conference would be seeded purely based on record. Non-division champions could be seeded higher than division champions if they have better records, with tiebreakers established for teams with identical records. The first round of playoffs would then feature specific matchups based on seeding.