A topic of importance in the NFL owners’ meeting this week was officiating. In a season in which very little has been guaranteed, one recurring theme has been controversy surrounding officiating. The most recent outcry, over a call that was 100% correct, is what prompted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent to talk about officiating at the owners’ meeting. Vincent called the process of fixing problems with how games are called a “work in progress” and acknowledged the NFL is “always looking to improve” in that area.
What was addressed?
Goodell and Vincent touched on several issues, but per the ESPN article, no concrete changes can be made until March. One issue that the league has a clear stance on is hip-drop tackling, the kind of tackle that ended Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews’ season prematurely. To the NFL, the hip-drop tackle is “gruesome.” Fans can expect a crackdown on the hip-drop tackle, but can also expect a timeframe in which defensive players adjust to the new rule.
The new kickoff fair catch rule, allowing players to call fair catch on a kickoff in the field of play, is also on its way out, per Vincent. Vincent said the rule has not shown a sufficient reduction of injury risk. Another hot-button play that has injured players is the push sneak, also known as the “tush push.” The Philadelphia Eagles made the play famous with how they have gotten the play down to a science. Other teams have imitated– but not duplicated– success with this play. Two New York Giants players got hurt trying to execute the play. Vincent said he does not want to punish teams for being better at one play than others are.
Finally, though details are scarce, fumbles through the endzone resulting in touchbacks are up for discussion. Neither Goodell nor Vincent gave their thoughts on the matter, but owners and presidents disagreed with the rule. The rule is “too punitive” in the eyes of Mark Murphy, president of the publicly-owned Green Bay Packers.
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