NFL Committee Makes 19 New Rules Proposals

[trickblue]

NFL Committee Makes 19 New Rules Proposals

By BARRY WILNER
AP Football Writer

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) -- A week in Maui was anything but a vacation for the NFL's competition committee. The eight voting members of the committee, headed by Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher and Atlanta Falcons general manager Rich McKay, are making 19 rules proposals to the owners at the annual meetings. Several are controversial enough to cause some vehement debate.

Among the proposals are: adopting the college rule for 15-yard defensive pass interference penalties rather than continuing with spot fouls - unless the foul was within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage; eliminating peel-back blocks below the waist outside the tackle box; and extending replay challenges to cover fumbles on plays already whistled by officials because the ball carrier was down by contact.

The committee also seeks to eliminate "horse-collar tackles," where the defender grabs the ball carrier inside the back of the shoulder pads and immediately drags him down while also falling on his legs. Such tackles would be deemed unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty.

"We want to eliminate dangerous plays that lead to injuries," Fisher said Monday. "We looked at all injury tapes and 90 percent of lower extremity injuries, eight or nine could've been avoided. Four or five were associated with this type of technique.

"We're not singling out Roy Williams," Fisher added of the Dallas safety whose horse-collaring of Terrell Owens broke the leg and damaged the ankle of the Eagles' star receiver. "We're singling out a technique."

Fisher said he doesn't favor the college rule on pass interference, a proposal made by the Chiefs.

"I believe it will encourage lots of penalties," he said, emphasizing interference would happen too often on downfield plays.

Defensive pass interference beyond 15 yards that is considered flagrant will make the penalty a spot foul, McKay said. That, in theory, should prevent intentional tackles of receivers by a defender who is badly beaten on a long pass. But Fisher said he isn't so sure.

"It will have a dramatic effect on the passing game," he said.

Kansas City also suggests 5-yard illegal contact penalties not carry an automatic first down for the offense.

Perhaps the most contentious suggestion by the committee concerns the instant replay for down-by-contact plays. So the committee is proposing just a one-year experimentation.

There were less than 20 situations over the last two seasons where the down-by-contact call was incorrect. But because it can involve a change of possession, the committee felt it was worth being challengeable.

"If this passes," Fisher said, "the referee would be able to look at the play through recovery (of the ball). If he could not see clearly the recovery, the offense would retain the ball."

Another replay change would be the elimination of the buzzer system, which McKay and Fisher both comically mentioned abuses by certain coaches to slow down the run of play. No longer will coaches be able to claim the buzzer went off accidentally because they won't be hooked up; only by throwing the red flag onto the field will they be able to alert officials about a challenge.

"If you throw the flag and don't have any more challenges or timeouts," McKay added, "it will be a (15-yard) penalty."

Another proposal will protect a player who is out of a play from being blindsided, a tactic often used against kickers or punters, or against quarterbacks after an interception.

New England proposed positioning two TV cameras at each goal line to assist coaches on whether to challenge a play, and to aid the referee when examining an instant replay.

The competition committee also suggests penalizing a team for calling a second timeout in the same dead ball situation. It will be considered unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty.

Earlier Monday, commissioner Paul Tagliabue told the owners that talks to extend the collective bargaining agreement with the players are "at a dead end."

While Tagliabue would not concede that internal squabbles have stalled talks, it was evident from owners that the simmering contention between high-revenue and low-revenue teams has contributed as much to the impasse as a division between the union and the league.

"The union is asking for a lot of money," said Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the have-not teams. "We can't get to that because of where we are among ourselves."

[Boom]

Originally Posted by trickblue

"We want to eliminate dangerous plays that lead to injuries," Fisher said Monday. "We looked at all injury tapes and 90 percent of lower extremity injuries, eight or nine could've been avoided. Four or five were associated with this type of technique.

I guess they lost the chop block footage.

[LA=Pancakemaker]

Fisher should be fire as a coach and kicked right out of the nfl - technique my *** you *****!

[31smackdown]

Does anyone know who the 8 voting members are?

[ghst187]

Originally Posted by trickblue

[b]
The committee also seeks to eliminate "horse-collar tackles," where the defender grabs the ball carrier inside the back of the shoulder pads and immediately drags him down while also falling on his legs. Such tackles would be deemed unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty.
."

Will that mean you can still grab the collar but just not if you fall on his legs? Also, will this rule only apply to Roy Williams or will it be enforced throughout the league?

[trickblue]

Originally Posted by ghst187

Will that mean you can still grab the collar but just not if you fall on his legs? Also, will this rule only apply to Roy Williams or will it be enforced throughout the league?

You know the answer to that one... he will be watched more closely than any other player...

Any coaches that have lost players to this type of tackle should NOT be on the voting committee...

Jeff Fisher lost a player to this and by stating that he "isn't singling Roy Williams out"... well... he is doing JUST that...

[Jarv]

Originally Posted by ghst187

Will that mean you can still grab the collar but just not if you fall on his legs? Also, will this rule only apply to Roy Williams or will it be enforced throughout the league?

Great points. This rule will not pass because its too hard to tell or call the way its worded there. You can grab the collar, but not fall on their legs ? I don't recall Roy falling on TO's legs...Once you make a grab of a player and both of your momemtums are going forward, how can you tell were you will land...What if you grab him by the collar and he falls on the defenders legs, does the Ofeensive guy get a penalty ?

Will the call be reveiwable ? Is the facemask call reveiwable ?

Also, someone in another thread post a animated gif of the Musa tackle...As he stated, Roy had to make a grab of the collar because of the stiffarm to his facemask.

This could end up being a ploy, even if the rule is not voted in, you know the refs will be out looking for Roy in SOME way, just because the whole topic was brought up.

[Everlastingxxx]

I guess i am of the rare few that thinks Roy's technique is to hurt players. Calico's injury was so avoidable, Roy could have easily pushed him out of bounce. Not to offend anyone, but some of you guys live in LaLa land.

Personally i liked some of these new rules, but don't change the pass interference rule. And something needs to be done about coaches seeing the replays fast enough to see if they want to challenge.

[Compacity]

Man fischer is a discombobulated, feebleminded, halfbaked ....

He just mad because most of his team is gone from injuries... look at Derek Mason, McNair, Eddie George, Haynesworth, Kevin Carter, Tyrone Calico, Samari Rolle, and Chris Brown was gone from injures none of em with the team any more... Titans are weak anyway with their overrated defense...

[Compacity]

Originally Posted by Everlastingxxx

I guess i am of the rare few that thinks Roy's technique is to hurt players. Calico's injury was so avoidable, Roy could have easily pushed him out of bounce. Not to offend anyone, but some of you guys live in LaLa land.

Personally i liked some of these new rules, but don't change the pass interference rule. And something needs to be done about coaches seeing the replays fast enough to see if they want to challenge.

Man it's making the NFL weak... can you see that?

That helmet to helmet rule is dumb...because back in the days Ronnie Lott and Lawrence Taylor use to do it all the time...

[jksmith269]

My question is when are they going to address the overtime rules????? I like the college system better.

and while there making changes to the replay system why not include bad calls by the ref as reveiwable?????

[Everlastingxxx]

Originally Posted by Compacity

Man it's making the NFL weak... can you see that?

That helmet to helmet rule is dumb...because back in the days Ronnie Lott and Lawrence Taylor use to do it all the time...

No, what makes the NFL weak is tons of scrubs playing because all the good players are on IR. I am a huge Roy fan, yet i can see past the blue and silver glasses to say that his collar tackles are extremely dangerous. But really, doesn't matter, Roy is gonna hurt players either way. No big deal, not sure why every is getting their panties in a knot.

The NFL is FAR from a weak game.

[trickblue]

Originally Posted by Everlastingxxx

I guess i am of the rare few that thinks Roy's technique is to hurt players. Calico's injury was so avoidable, Roy could have easily pushed him out of bounce. Not to offend anyone, but some of you guys live in LaLa land.

Personally i liked some of these new rules, but don't change the pass interference rule. And something needs to be done about coaches seeing the replays fast enough to see if they want to challenge.

I respectfully disagree... Williams was visibly upset after the injury to Musa Smith in last years Ravens game...

Pretty much all tackles are "meant" to hurt... so in that I agree... but very few tackles are meant to injure...

I think Roy has more in mind to "shake them up"... not to seriously injure them...

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by Everlastingxxx

No, what makes the NFL weak is tons of scrubs playing because all the good players are on IR. I am a huge Roy fan, yet i can see past the blue and silver glasses to say that his tackles is extremely dangerous. But really, doesn't matter, Roy is gonna hurt players either way. No big deal, not sure why every is getting their panties in a knot.

The NFL is FAR from a weak game.

Because some of us pay to watch a football game not some touch football game. If guys are worried about getting hurt then find another sport to play.

[31smackdown]

I guess i am of the rare few that thinks Roy's technique is to hurt players. Calico's injury was so avoidable, Roy could have easily pushed him out of bounce. Not to offend anyone, but some of you guys live in LaLa land.

I don't disagree with you... I think there is a certain intimidation factor that Roy deploys.... but that is part of his role as a safety. His job is not just to tackle, but to intimidate like all of the great safeties that have come before him. So no, he does not just try to tackle people, he tries to knock the snot out of them or demoralize them while he tackles them. It's a mental edge in the game, what is going to intimidate you more, some guy pushing you forward and falling down for 3 yards or some guy grabbing you and dragging you down backwards for 1 yard. Believe me, the next time that same player comes to tackle you, you are going to be a little more hesitant. I'm not saying this is right, but it is the precedent for a player of his position. Football is a violent sport, it's not a pickup game with a bunch of friends.