New NFL team proposals

Regarding the team’s proposals, first the “good”: the proposal of the lions to change the rule 8, section 4 to remove the first automatic down for defensive possession and illegal contact. The reason for Lions best states: “The application of current penalty is too punitive for defense.”

There are few pieces more frightening than when an offense is endowed primarily for a defense sentence of 5 courts on the third and 16.

A sentence of 5 yard and a playback of Down is sufficient, but if the owners really want to punish the defense, make it a 10-court punishment. The first automatic discount is very unfair to defense.

This is the first time a team has proposed this change and I am not sure it will receive the 24 votes. But the credit to Lions to start the conversation.

Next, they are “reasonable”, which apply to several proposals.

Eagles, who did not play an extending game in 2024, wants uniformity between the regular season and playoff. Eagles proposes that the playoff rules will be adopted for the regular season with a 15-minute period with both teams guarantee a possession. The current rules of the regular OT season require a 10 -minute period, and the game ends if the team holding the ball first scores a touchdown.

NFL reduced overtime to 10 minutes in 2017 from players’ safety issues, citing a higher injury rate due to fatigue. But the Eagles proposal is sensitive and equitable.

As well as the proposal of seven teams (Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Las Vegas, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Washington) to allow clubs to prepare the shot balls before the day of the game, similar to the game ball process. The reason given is “eliminating a burdened and useless process on the day of the game.”

Currently, the teams open a fresh K-Calls box on the day of the game, which requires a long break. The teams propose that each team get 60 k balls at the beginning of the season and present three referee for the pregamage inspection, along with the 24 football in their quarters. It seems good to me, as long as the equipment person does not stop in the bathroom for 90 seconds before bringing football on the field.

Commanders want teams that can qualify for Postseason to be able to research potential opponents in weeks 17 and 18. And for teams that host wild books games to provide research credentials for each playoff team. Sure, why not?

And Steelers want teams to have a video or phone call with a player during the two -day free agency negotiation and can make travel arrangements to sign a contract (currently, teams can only talk to the players agents). I can’t see a reason why the owners vote not.

Then we reach the “little girl”. Packers want to modify the Rule 12, section 1, “to prohibit an offensive player to push an teammate who has been aligned directly behind the snapper and receives the snapshot, immediately when clamping”, with a sentence of 10 courts.

In other words, they want to forbid the pushing Tush, the short yard game that Eagles and only Eagles have perfected. Packers faced Eagles twice in 2024 and actually stopped pushing Tush twice in their 1 week in Brazil, but could not stop Jalen Hurts’s only Wild-card victory in Eagles.

The Competition Committee has not yet pleaded to eliminate the piece. Packers cites the “safety of players” as a reason, but the executive vice president of NFL, Troy Vincent, said in February that the Liga did not see an injury in the 2024 season.

And in the last two years, the league has been away from eliminating a piece that, in essence, rises to punish only Eagles, because they are the only team that performs the frequent game. Bills tried to push Tush in the AFC championship game, and Josh Allen was filled on 4 out of 5 attempts.

Packers may find 23 other owners who agree with them, but I would not count on their crusade against the Tush pressing.

Finally, it is the “self-service”, which is a proposal to regulate the playoff teams for Lions to Seed Playoff through the best record, whether they are a winner of the division or a Wild-card team.

The 15-2 lions obtained the playoff seeds no. 1 and the advantage of home land with their victory of week 18 over Vikings. But a loss would have thrown the lions at the seeds no. 5 and at the upper place of wild books, as was the case with the 14-3 Vikings. The Vikings had the third best record in the NFC (related to Eagles), but were sown in the fifth row behind the 10-7 Bucaneers and 10-7 Rams, forcing the Vikings to play all the playoff games on the road, where they went promptly by Rams in the round of wild cards.

Lions cites “competitive equity” for the new sowing proposal, because it “rewards the best performing teams in the regular season”. Lions also claim that “it offers emotion and competition in games at the end of the season.”

But the owners have long been in favor of prioritizing the winners of the division with home playoff games and do not seem to be inclined to change the system just because Lions and Vikings were squeezed in 2024. In addition, a new seeding rule would have taken a lot of emotion from that week 18 lions-vikings, if the loss was still a game.

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Ben Volin can be accessed to [email protected].