NFL Offseason/Free Agency/Non Draft Thread

[Joemailman]

‪Ian Rapoport‬ ‪@rapsheet1.bsky.social‬

Discussions on the tush push have been tabled until a later date, source said. The fact that the debate on banning the tush push was tabled indicates it may be discussed again at the May meetings. And could be pushed forward once more support is gathered.

Competition Committee chair Rich McKay said there were 30-40 minutes of discussion, focusing on safety and other issues. Up to 2004, there were rules the prohibited pushing and pulling. The Packers asked to reinstate the language, study it, understand it, and discuss it in May.

[Fosco33]

Is this April fools joke? Ban it or rename to rugby

[Joemailman]

Is this April fools joke? Ban it or rename to rugby

I read somewhere that they have 16 votes in favor. They tabled the vote because they need more time to gather more support. They need 24 votes.

[Fosco33]

I read somewhere that they have 16 votes in favor. They tabled the vote because they need more time to gather more support. They need 24 votes.

Makes sense. 16 is a good start

[Fritz]

Gather more support? Maybe those in favor should group just behind one of them who's unsure, and give him a little . . . push. In the tush.

[MadtownPacker]

Ban everything the Packers aren’t good at!!

[MadScientist]

Ban everything the Packers aren’t good at!!

So, rushing the QB should be banned?

[MadtownPacker]

So, rushing the QB should be banned?

It would help tremendously on offense and defense.

[Patler]

Chain crew will not be used to measure for first downs:

At the NFL's spring owners meeting on Tuesday, the league announced Sony's "Hawk-Eye" virtual measurement system will be the primary method of measuring the distance between the spot of the ball and the line to gain moving forward. The sideline crew will be relegated to backups.

"Combining the art of officiating with Sony's trusted Hawk-Eye system is a healthy recipe for success in our commitment to raising the standards of accuracy, consistency and efficiency," Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations at the NFL, said in a press release. "Replay technology and data-driven insights from Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations aid us in advancing our efforts toward the future of football."

This technology becoming the standard for the NFL marks a new era for football. The league has used "Hawk-Eye's" Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay technology since 2021 to combine and synchronize gameday footage to assist with replays being looked at in the NFL's command center. Still, officials haven't trusted the "Hawk-Eye" system with decision-making until now, and refs won't be completely shut out by it.

A referee is required to determine the spot of the ball before the "Hawk-Eye" system decides if the 10 yards for a first down have been gained. As the officials are notified of the outcome, real-time virtual recreations will be shown to the stadium and broadcast audience. According to the league, this process will take about 30 seconds, but save up to 40 seconds if the chain gang were to do it themselves.

[Teamcheez1]

The issue is not measuring for the first down.
It’s that officials do not spot the ball correctly.
The technology will not be used in this regard.

[Patler]

The issue is not measuring for the first down.
It’s that officials do not spot the ball correctly.
The technology will not be used in this regard.

There is a seldom discussed issue in that when a first down is achieved, the officials just "eyeball" where to place the start of the chain. That can be short of or ahead of the actual ball location, making the distance needed for the next first down to be slightly less than or slightly more than 10 yards. The new technology will ensure that the needed distance is 10 yards from the actual ball placement on first down, and should make "measurements" for first downs a bit faster.

As far as ball placement errors are concerned, challenges can address that to some extent; however, without a ball location sensor system, cameras cannot always "see" where the ball is.

[sharpe1027]

They hardly ever measure with the chains anymore. They just give a first down unless it's 3rd or 4th. This technology takes 30 seconds instead of 40 seconds to measure with the chains. Saving 10 see seconds a few times a game seems like a whole lot of nothing.

[bobblehead]

They hardly ever measure with the chains anymore. They just give a first down unless it's 3rd or 4th. This technology takes 30 seconds instead of 40 seconds to measure with the chains. Saving 10 see seconds a few times a game seems like a whole lot of nothing.

In fairness the tech will work from the second the ball is placed so it should save the full 40 seconds.

[Fritz]

They hardly ever measure with the chains anymore. They just give a first down unless it's 3rd or 4th. This technology takes 30 seconds instead of 40 seconds to measure with the chains. Saving 10 see seconds a few times a game seems like a whole lot of nothing.

It's interesting to me that the NFL has managed to get away from that period of time, about six or seven years ago (?), where every near-first down became a piece of mini-drama, with officials placing the ball such that the chain gang was trotting out every time it was remotely close. Anyone else remember that? The game got slowed way, way down.

Their solution at the time, it seemed to me, was to tell officials to be more definitive in their ball placement - to make it clearly a first down, or clearly not a first down. That was how it seemed to me, anyway.

But they're trying to make sure that doesn't slow the game down again. I think.

[sharpe1027]

I think they just made the call quickly and were okay being wrong sometimes.

[run pMc]

they have chips in the pads, I'm not sure why they can't be precise with the ball. It's silly, actually.

Someday they'll implement chips in the ball or whatever, and MLF will stop blowing all his timeouts on dumb challenges.

[Fritz]

they have chips in the pads, I'm not sure why they can't be precise with the ball. It's silly, actually.

Someday they'll implement chips in the ball or whatever, and MLF will stop blowing all his timeouts on dumb challenges.

You forget one of his strengths is his creativity. He’ll find new ways to do that.

[bobblehead]

they have chips in the pads, I'm not sure why they can't be precise with the ball. It's silly, actually.

Someday they'll implement chips in the ball or whatever, and MLF will stop blowing all his timeouts on dumb challenges.

They would need chips in the knee/elbow etc. to be sure a runner isn't already down while the ball advances. I think we are a few years from that much tech.

Alternately we could put a chip in MiLFs brain that shocks him for dumb challenges and hope to course correct that way.

[Fritz]

So, in the past, occasionally the Pack would sign a nondescript free agent later in the game who woule prove to be valuable. Don't ask me for an example; I can't come up with one right now. But I know it's true even if I have no evidence for it!

So - is there that guy still out there, that low-level FA signing that later proves to be invaluable?

[sharpe1027]

They would need chips in the knee/elbow etc. to be sure a runner isn't already down while the ball advances. I think we are a few years from that much tech.

Alternately we could put a chip in MiLFs brain that shocks him for dumb challenges and hope to course correct that way.

This. It's a fairly simple matter once the ball has been placed by the referee. Determining where it should have been spotted in the first is a much more complex problem to solve.