NEW ORLEANS -- NFL owners voted to alter rules for kickoffs and instant replay next season but tabled a proposal that would have expanded language changes in the rule involving penalties against defenseless players.
The rule that moves kickoffs from the 30 to the 35-yard line passed 26-6, while the rule to have the booth replay official review all scoring plays passed 30-2. Overall, four of the five proposals up for vote passed.
With changes suggested by 32 head coaches attending the NFL owners meetings, kickoffs will move from the 30 to the 35-yard line but adjustments were made in the proposal by the NFL competition committee.
With the input of coaches, the committee decided to allow return teams to have a two-man wedge. The committee proposal suggested the elimination of the two-man wedge, but coaches argued that would make it harder to have quality returns.
The other tradeoff by the committee to get the vote passed was not changing the spotting of a touchback. Touchbacks will still be spotted at the 20-yard line. The committee had suggested moving touchbacks to the 25.
The final element of the change in the kickoff rule was adjusting the running starts for the coverage teams before the kickoff. Before, coverage players could get a 10- to 15-yard start before the kicker makes contact with the ball. Under the new rule, coverage players will only get a 5-yard running start. That was what the competition committee had recommended.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick had strongly opposed the original proposal that would have spotted the ball at the 25 on a touchback and eliminated the two-man wedge. He approved of the proposal that passed, however.
"I think this is a lot simpler. It's clean," he said Tuesday after the vote.
The other major change involved instant replay. The booth replay official will now have to confirm all scoring plays, saving coaches from using challenges on plays in the end zone. To pass that proposal, the committee altered its suggestion by not changing the number of challenges for coaches. Now, coaches can make two challenges a game, but if they are correct on both, they would have access to a third challenge. The committee wanted to eliminate the third challenge.
Belichick also approved in the change in replay. "It's kind of like the college rule, kind of cleans it up a little bit," Belichick said. "I think any time the pro rules and the college rules are the same that's better for the fans. It's easier to follow, you know, one foot, two foot, all the things like that. To make it more consistent, that's better."
In a surprising move, the NFL tabled the expanded language changes in the rule involving penalties against defenseless players. Last year, the NFL cracked down with heavy fines and possible suspension for hits on defenseless players. The competition committee wanted to spell out those rules with eight explanations of what would be considered finable hits on defenseless players. Though that rule is expected to eventually pass, more time was needed for the language.
There were two other minor changes. Teams that wish to change the color of their field now require league approval. Though no team has suggested making a change to a blue or red field, the league wanted to be proactive and prevent that from happening without approval.
Another proposal that passed clears up the confusion on penalties for dead ball fouls. To make all dead ball fouls consistent, on penalties in that situation at the end of the half, the half will not be extended. Before there was confusion based on which unit committed the dead ball foul.
