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Every year, the NFL Competition Committee gets together to announce new proposals which will be voted on during the annual NFL Owners' Meetings. The committee is a group of eight members made up by both active head coaches and managers, headed by Chairman Rich McKay. There are a number of new proposals on the table for this year: 20 rule proposals, four bylaw proposals, and one resolution proposal. Here are the full details, courtesy of ESPN:
| RULE PROPOSALS |
| 1. Allow a coach to challenge any officials' decision, except scoring plays and turnovers. |
| 2. Subject all fouls to review. |
| 3. Subject personal foul penalties to Instant Replay review pursuant to a coach's challenge. |
| 4. Subject personal foul penalties to instant replay review. |
| 5. Subject to instant replay review any penalty that results in an automatic first down. |
| 6. A foul against a defenseless receiver may be enforced when a reversal results in an incomplete pass. |
| 7. Reviewable plays will include fouls against defenseless players, and an unsuccessful challenge will not cost a team a timeout. |
| 8. Eliminate the requirement that a team be successful on each of its first two Instant Reply challenges in order to be awarded a third challenge. |
| 9. Expand plays for which reviews will be initiated by the Replay Official to include those that would result in a score or change of possession if the on-field ruling is reversed. |
| 10. Add review of game clock on the final play of a half or overtime to Instant Replay system. |
| 11. Add review of play clock to the Instant Replay system. |
| 12. Put fixed cameras on all boundary lines. |
| 13. Stadium-produced video may be used for an Instant Replay review. |
| 14. Move the line of scrimmage for Try Kicks to the defensive team's 15-yard line. |
| 15. Add a bonus field goal for one additional point after a successful two-point attempt. |
| 16. Prohibit Team B players from pushing teammates on the line of scrimmage into the offensive formation when Team A presents a punt formation. |
| 17. Both teams will have a possession in overtime. |
| 18. Extend the prohibition for an illegal "peel back" block to all offensive players. |
| 19. Give the intended receiver of a pass defenseless player protection in the immediate continuing action following an interception. |
| 20. Allow for the enforcement of an Unsportsmanlike Conduct foul at the end of a half to be applied to the ensuing kickoff. |
| 21. Make it illegal for a back to chop a defensive player engaged above the waist by another offensive player outside the area originally occupied by the tight end. |
| 22. Permit clubs to assign additional jersey numbers to linebackers. Add 40-49 as eligible numbers for linebackers, in addition to 50-59 and 90-99. |
| 23. Make it illegal for an offensive player with an eligible number to report as ineligible and line up outside the core of the formation. |
| BYLAW PROPOSALS |
| 1. Eliminate the cutdown to 75 players on the Active List. |
| 2. Prohibit timing and on-field testing at a club's facility of any players who attended the League-wide Combine. |
| 3. Permit clubs to designate after 4 p.m. ET on the day after the final roster reduction the one player eligible to return to their Active List from Reserve/Injured. |
| 4. Change the date for the beginning of the window during which players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform may begin practice. |
| RESOLUTION |
|
1. Allow teams with retractable roofs to open them during halftime shows.
|
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One of the most radical changes proposed here was made by the Indianapolis Colts. It involves giving a team the opportunity to kick a bonus extra point field goal if a two-point conversion is successful. Their idea is that this will cause more teams to go for two instead of kicking the PAT. I doubt it'll go through, but if it does it'll make it possible to score nine points (instead of eight) in one possession.
The Eagles are presenting a bylaw proposal, as described by Zach Berman:
Among proposed rule changes for discussion at NFL meetings next wk is proposal from Eagles to allow on-field testing away from team facility
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 18, 2015
Stated reason is that "the number of draft-eligible players in each club’s metropolitan area is not equal."
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 18, 2015
Sorry for ambiguity -- on-field testing of draft prospects. Eagles want to be able to test them at the prospect's college/home area.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 18, 2015
It'll be interesting to see which proposals make it through the cut. The NFL Owners' Meetings start this weekend and last into the week (March 22-25).
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