Among the myriad rules and bylaws change proposals that are on the docket for the NFL Meetings in Phoenix from March 22-25, about half are related to coaches' challenges and replay reviews.
There are 23 proposed rules changes and four proposed bylaws changes to be discussed, and 13 are related to challenges and replay reviews. And one of the more intriguing of them was submitted by the Detroit Lions, who submitted a proposal that would expand the NFL's replay system to include all penalties.
Whether the proposal receives much traction from the Competition Committee – the lengthening of game time and interruption of play would appear to be significant issues weighing against such a proposal – remains to be seen. But the committee is scheduled to hold its news conference Monday, March 23 at the Arizona Biltmore, which also will be the site where NFL coaches are scheduled to be available to the media on Tuesday (AFC coaches) and Wednesday (NFC coaches, including New Orleans' Sean Payton).
The Tennessee Titans submitted a similar, but lesser, proposal to Detroit's. The Titans' offering would have reviews for any personal foul penalties.
Two proposals unrelated to replay that will be considered by the committee involve overtime possession and point-after attempts.
The overtime possession proposal would allow for each team to have at least one overtime possession. Currently, if a team receives the overtime kickoff and scores a touchdown on its drive, the game ends on that score. If it kicks a field goal or doesn't score, the opponent receives a possession.
And a possible rule change that will be revisited is New England's proposal that the point-after attempt be moved back, from the 2-yard line to the 15. The two-point conversion attempt would remain at the 2.
That submission received enough consideration last year that during one weekend of preseason games, the league experimented with the notion. The result was that eight point-after attempts were missed in 141 attempts, a conversion rate of 94.3 percent. The previous season, 2013, saw a conversion percentage of 99.6 percent (1,316 of 1,321).
