NFL 2015 News, Rumors: Rule Changes to Instant Replay System?
Yesterday the NFL announced the various rule change proposals they will discuss at this year's league meeting to be held in Phoenix, Arizona. Many of those rule changes involve tweaks to the current instant replay system and how plays are challenged and how many challenges a team will have per game, and exactly which plays are challengeable. All of these rule changes were proposed by one of the 32 NFL teams, with none coming from the league itself. That raises serious questions if any meaningful changes will happen.
Outside of the somewhat odd proposal put forward by the Indianapolis Colts about a potential opportunity to add a third point after a successful two point conversion some of the instant replay proposal are actually pretty good. The Detroit Lions proposed a rule that would allow teams to challenge penalty calls. Of all the proposals it is the most simply worded "all fouls identified by a game official." Meaning a head coach could challenge any penalty call.
However, the Lions do not think they will get enough support to get that rule changed.
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On the whole most of the 32 team proposed changes to the instant replay system that would expand the types of calls that are challengeable. The Colts also proposed a rule that would not charge a team a timeout for a unsuccessful challenge.
More than any tweaks to the roster, tweaks to instant replay and well before they add a three point conversion rule the NFL needs to clarify to its fans what constitutes a catch. There is a large disconnect between what the rulebook says a catch is and what a reasonable fan sitting in his man cave with his high definition TV expects a catch to be. If any one rule is to be tweaked this offseason it would behoove the NFL to seriously alter what its rulebooks defines as a catch.
