Log in

View Full Version : Proposed Rule Changes



HarveyWallbangers
03-28-2008, 02:27 AM
http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2008/03/26/2/


Eliminate the force-out:
McKay: "The only time a force-out would be called is if a player was actually held and carried out of bounds, which really begins to mimic the college rule. Last year, we think it was called a total of 15 times, but it would eliminate those 15 calls."

I'm for this.


Option to defer after winning the coin toss:
McKay: "We've proposed it before, but we'll propose it again that the winner have the opportunity to defer."

Don't really care on this one.


Eliminate 5-yard penalty for a facemask:
McKay: "We believe that we can still promote and cover all the safety issues that there are with respect to the facemask penalty. With the 15-yard penalty, we then said that you must twist it, turn it or pull it for a 15-yard penalty, as opposed to the 5-yard standard, which only required a grasp."

Not sure if I'd be for or against this.


Length of hair and player nameplate visibility:
McKay: "The Kansas City Chiefs propose that a player's hair may not cover or obscure the surname on the upper back of the player's jersey. And that a player's hair may not cover or obscure the numerals on the back or sleeves of the player's jersey."

Seems silly to me.


Roster sizes:
Specifically, there are thoughts of expanding the offseason roster limit beyond the current 80.

I'm for leaving the rosters sizes at 80.


Playoff seeding:
McKay: "The two division champions that have the best records automatically qualify for seeds number one and two. After that, seeding would be according to the best record. Tiebreakers would go to division champions. In other words, if you were a wild card, you would be competing for seeds three through six, depending upon your record. If you tied with a division champion, you would lose the tiebreaker and be seeded one spot lower."

Interesting, but I think I prefer the way it is.


Coach-to-defense:
McKay: "This is something we've proposed on two other occasions. This is our third shot at it."

This system would enable a defensive player to have a helmet equipped with a speaker device to enable one-way communication from a coach to the field. A primary and secondary player would be designated, though only one could be on the field at any given time. If the primary player was injured, the secondary player could switch to his own helmet equipped with the speaker. In the event that both players were forced to come out of a game, teams would simply have to revert to hand signals.

Not sure what I feel about this one.


Moratorium before free agency:
McKay: "A dead period some 5-7 days before the beginning of free agency, in which teams would be free to talk to potential free agents' agents only; certified agents only. Not the players themselves. They cannot negotiate a contract; they cannot execute a contract. They cannot visit or meet with the player face-to-face."

This change would serve to benefit the home team of a free agent. Players are free to negotiate with their original teams, even throughout the moratorium.

Seems reasonable.

gex
03-28-2008, 03:48 AM
http://www.packers.com/news/stories/2008/03/26/2/



[quote]Length of hair and player nameplate visibility:
McKay: "The Kansas City Chiefs propose that a player's hair may not cover or obscure the surname on the upper back of the player's jersey. And that a player's hair may not cover or obscure the numerals on the back or sleeves of the player's jersey."

Seems silly to me.


This has been in a couple different threads but I am in the belief that if you want to play in the NFL you play by their rules, just like any job, they say were your hair short or no facial hair thats the way it is. Don't like it get a different job. Personal beliefs and religions are not an excuse.

packrulz
03-28-2008, 06:11 AM
I'm for all of these rule changes, especially the force out and the 5 yd facemask. The players can still have long hair, just not down to their butt. If an opposing player grabs that hair, which is legal as far as I know, it could cause a neck injury.

The Leaper
03-28-2008, 07:29 AM
I'm all for getting rid of the force out rule. Get both feet down or forget about it. Leaving it up to the ref's discretion is dumb.

I'm happy it helped AZ knock off MN a few years back though.

I think I'm for eliminating the 5 yard facemask as well. I don't see the point in penalizing a guy for putting his hand on a facemask, then immediately removing it. If it can't constitute a 15 yard penalty, let it go.

The playoff seeding idea is intriguing. I think I approve of seeding by record from 3-6. I want the division champs to all be in the playoffs automatically...but if you win a division with a 9-7 record, you should not get HFA over a wild card team that was 11-5. Granting division winners automatic 3 or 4 seeds does not seem fair to me.

KYPack
03-28-2008, 10:02 AM
Why is a man who traded Matt Schaub a few months before Mike Vick was out as Atlanta's QB (one of the worst mgt moves in league history) still on the NFL competition committee?

Atlanta needed to keep Schaub around bc Vick was getting hurt 2-3 times a season.

Rich McKay is a boob who needs to shut up and go away, in no particular order.

HarveyWallbangers
03-28-2008, 10:33 AM
Why is a man who traded Matt Schaub a few months before Mike Vick was out as Atlanta's QB (one of the worst mgt moves in league history) still on the NFL competition committee?

Atlanta needed to keep Schaub around bc Vick was getting hurt 2-3 times a season.

Rich McKay is a boob who needs to shut up and go away, in no particular order.

Matt Millen is on the committee also.
:D

DonHutson
03-28-2008, 11:30 AM
Yeah, when Troy Polamalu's massive unique hairdo covers up his name it's damn near impossible to identify him.

:roll:

I don't get the 5 yard facemask thing. Are they saying that every grab of the facemask is back to being a 15 yard penalty or are they saying it's only a penalty to grab it and twist? I would think the former makes more sense, but whatever. The two tiers of penalty created a lot of arbitrary calls. If they can remedy that it's a good thing.

The wild card teams getting home games I don't like. Why even have divisions if you make it increasingly meaningless to win them? The only benefit I can see is that it might keep races for home field tighter and force more teams to play their starters down the stretch.

The Leaper
03-28-2008, 12:01 PM
The wild card teams getting home games I don't like. Why even have divisions if you make it increasingly meaningless to win them?

Winning the division would remain an automatic entry into the playoffs, regardless of record. Division winners also are granted the tiebreaker for HFA over a wild card with the same W-L record.

Why is it fair to penalize the Jaguars for being in the same division as the Colts...and let a team like Pittsburgh get a home playoff game over them simply because their play was the least mediocre in an average division? The Jaguars proved themselves to be a better team over the course of 2007...they deserve the HFA in that situation.


The only benefit I can see is that it might keep races for home field tighter and force more teams to play their starters down the stretch.

That is a sizable benefit. No longer could a team in a crappy division sit their starters the last 2 games of the season and back into a home playoff game with 8 or 9 wins.

MadtownPacker
03-28-2008, 12:25 PM
Getting rid if the force out is needed. As mentioned it is BS to let the ref decide what might have happened.

The playoff one is interesting but IMO it lowers the value of winning the division. A wild card from the NFC West wins 11 games but the Packers win 10 and the North crown but they have to play on the road? Hell no!

DonHutson
03-28-2008, 12:49 PM
The playoff one is interesting but IMO it lowers the value of winning the division. A wild card from the NFC West wins 11 games but the Packers win 10 and the North crown but they have to play on the road? Hell no!

I agree. While Leaper makes some valid points, I'd say the most important accomplishment a team can acheive in the regular season is to win its division title. The teams that do that should be rewarded.

3irty1
03-28-2008, 01:12 PM
I obviously feel very strongly about the hair thing.

Tyrone Bigguns
03-28-2008, 01:41 PM
Why is a man who traded Matt Schaub a few months before Mike Vick was out as Atlanta's QB (one of the worst mgt moves in league history) still on the NFL competition committee?

Atlanta needed to keep Schaub around bc Vick was getting hurt 2-3 times a season.

Rich McKay is a boob who needs to shut up and go away, in no particular order.

Overly simplistic view of what happened. New coaching staff, etc.

Schaub was an unrestricted free agent..so, he wasn't going to stay. And, the Falcons got 2 2nd round picks. Blalock, this year's second started 14 games.

BTW, that boob was the gm that put together a SB winning team.

Zool
03-28-2008, 01:52 PM
Schaub was a restricted free agent this spring and the Falcons made him the highest qualifying offer possible, at $2.3 million. That qualifying offer meant that, had another team signed Schaub to an offer sheet, and Atlanta not matched it, the Falcons would have received first- and third-round draft choices as compensation.