Replay extended and finished blindside blocks



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PHOENIX – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, along with other league leaders in front of a decor sporting the league's new logo at the Arizona Biltmore hotel, announced Tuesday that the league would re-examine pass interferences by instant replay in 2019.

In the midst of coaches' jubilation and notable relief from their owners, the man who needs to turn this late and complex change into a credible reality stands quietly out of the way. Al Riveron, first vice president of league officials, will face months of hard work before the teams travel to the training camp in July.

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At the top of its list: establish a consistent standard to overrule the judgment of officials on the ground.

Replay is not intended to re-commission calls in the field, but to correct clear and obvious mistakes. It's one thing to decide whether a player has clearly fumbled or crossed the goal line, the kind of objective decisions that replay has been helping for years. But it is another matter to judge whether a player has physically prevented another from catching the ball. A number of coaches who have been supportive of a certain level of officiating this week have appeared to be concerned that a "clear and obvious" test is difficult to find.

"Thinking that we will never come to an agreement on a" passing interference "will never happen," said Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden, a former senior analyst at the University of Toronto. ; ESPN. "In order for us to think that we can watch a replay at a super, super super pass interference and determine whether or not it is, I think it's unrealistic." I tried to do in a cabin for nine years Me and Gerry Austin, who [refereed] in three Super Bowls. We could not tell if it was or not. We disagreed. And I just think it's very, very difficult for all of us to see if it's so fast.

"Some guys see things differently, we're not going to look at this cup of coffee the same way, it's too hot, it's too cold, but we're still going to drink it and we're going to continue." to the next room. "

The good news is that there is a precedent for such a change. The Canadian Football League examines pass interference since 2014. After a few adjustments, the league settled in a throat and even saved itself from a corrupt result at the 2015 Gray Cup.

Riveron's work will be difficult, but far from impossible. The NFL began expanding the replay with pass interference because, as a direct foul, it causes all penalties that impact the match. On Tuesday, Goodell and others were not reluctant to suggest that this one – year experience could serve as a bridge for further expansion of replay in the coming seasons.

Here is an overview of other notable rules and changes to the rules of procedure that were taken into account by the owners at their two-and-a-half day short meeting:


Elimination of all blindside blocks

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The penalty is now 15 yards if a player "initiates a blockage in which he moves forward or parallel to his own base line and makes a forced contact with his helmet, forearm or shoulder with his helmet." Previously, blocking the blind side was legal unless the blocker touched the opponent's head or neck.

A league-wide study on free kicks, which surpassed the shots sent in 2018 due to the highest injury rate, led to this rule change. (About 10% of all major injuries occur on horses.) But this rule covers all games, not just horses. The league's internal study revealed that 10 to 12 concussions occurred each season on blindside blocks, sometimes on boots, but also during "sudden change" pieces such as interceptions or ball returns. .

Permanent changes made

The initial changes of 2018 were made for one season only. But a 38% reduction in concussions during last season's knockout from the average of the previous three years convinced owners to make the changes permanent. The most significant changes were the elimination of the two-man tandem and a new race ban for the cover team.

The change coincided with a sharp reduction in hit recoveries, pushing the recovery rate from 21.1% in 2017 to 7.7% in 2018. Yet, overall, NFL players have suffered 25% fewer concussions in 2018.

Expansion of ejections ordered by the league

Last season, the owners approved a plan allowing Riveron to order the expulsion of a player who had committed a flagrant act other than football, like hitting or fighting. That's what happened at least once, to Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman, in the fifth week.

From now on, Riveron will also be able to order the expulsion of players for blatant football acts, such as a blow to the head or neck of a helpless player. This adjustment brings the NFL closer to the NCAA's targeting rule, could affect match results and could further exacerbate the trend of increasing the number of ejections between NFL games. 38 players have been ejected in the last two seasons, compared to 17 in the previous two.

Option to apply penalties after the scores

If an opponent commits a personal foul or an unsportsmanlike foul on a touchdown, the team may now choose to apply it to the point / two-point change or the send move that resulting.

New draft

The first tiebreaker to determine the provisional order will remain the reverse order of the agenda. But when teams finish with the same record and same program strength, the NFL will no longer turn to a flip of coins. Instead, this rule adds six more traditional deciding systems, the same as those used to determine series points and seeded ones. A draw will only be used if the teams remain tied at this stage.

Vanquished: alternative to kick

A proposal from The Denver Broncos would have given the teams a unique opportunity in the fourth quarter to exchange a kickoff for a 15-on-15 game attempt on a 35-yard line. Convert and keep the ball. Do not convert and flip it over. Essentially, this would have served as an alternative to the coup de send, an attractive option given the new difficulty in retrieving them. But the proposal did not meet a lot of support. John Mara, co-owner of the Giants of New York joked to reporters"What are we, the Arena League?"

Filed: Changes in overtime

The owners will spend more time discussing a proposal from the leaders to ensure both teams possession in overtime. This would eliminate the overtime draw, but would allow the winner of the pre-game draw to decide whether he should give the kickoff or receive overtime. This would also eliminate overtime in pre-season. The proposal may resurface at the spring league meeting, which begins May 20.

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