Summary of Approved Rule Changes

Mile High Report has an excellent summary of rule changes passed at the recent owners meeting. Among the changes was the elimination of the 'force-out' rule for receptions and elimination of the 5-yard variety facemask penalty. I can't be more concise than the linked author, so check it out.

UPDATE: The Denver Post is reporting that NFL owners rejected a proposal to expand NFL rosters from 80 to 86 players. This was largely viewed as a housekeeping move in response to the dissolution of the NFL Europe league. That the voters rejected this is significant in that it reflects how incredibly tense relations have become between the owners and the NFLPA. Don't pay for your 2010 fantasy football league just yet!

Defensive Radio Communication Approved

ESPN reports that an initiative to allow radio communication devices for defensive players was approved by the owners (25-7). Under the new rule, two players will be allowed to be wired with the device, but you may only have one wired player on the field at a time. The restriction is intended to prevent defenses from inappropriately using the devices.

This move is intended to restore fan confidence in the league after the Spygate embarrassment. I wonder how Belichick voted?

Monday Morning Hodgepodge

There were several items of interest in this article in this morning's Denver Post:

• Echoing earlier sentiments posted by this blogger, Pat Bowlen is adamantly opposed to a proposed rules change which would allow wildcard teams to earn home-field advantage against a division winner.
  
  
• With Ben Hamilton fully recovered from post-concussion symptoms, 2006 3rd-round pick Chris Kuper is expected to compete at right tackle. Kuper filled in capably at guard in Hamilton's absence last season.
  
  Last years 6th pick in the 3rd round Ryan Harris is penciled in as the starter at right tackle. Many have speculated that Denver will draft a tackle with the 12th overall pick in this years draft. The best available fit for the zone-blocking scheme is Boise State's Ryan O'Clady (who's not the sharpest tool in the shed), but many feel he will be off the board with the 12th pick. There is little question that Denver needs to add depth at offensive line via the draft; however, don't expect them to address this need in the first round. If Broncos management feels that Ryan Harris is ready to play at a high level, they may just add a project player on day 2.
  
  
• Elam left town, Mare was overpaid to play in Seattle, and the sky has not fallen. In fact, I think Denver's failure to sign Mare was serendipitous. The post claims that three potential suitors have surfaced in the search for Elam's replacement: John Carney, Paul Edinger, and Justin Medlock. John Carney is old enough to remember this, so I don't think he's the long-term solution we need.
  
  Edinger--known for his "corkscrew" kicking motion in which his back faces the uprights--has been out of the league since 2005. He's got plenty of range and nailed 84% of his kicks for Chicago in 2001. A year later he hit 74% of his kicks for Minnesota, including a 56-yard game winner against Green Bay (still the longest field goal in Vikings franchise history). He was released the next season.
  
  The greatest left-footed, black kicker of all time, Justin Medlock was the top kicker taken in last year's draft. After missing a 30-yard kick against Houston in week 1, he was unceremoniously dumped by Herm Edwards (a couple of weeks after releasing Lawrence Tynes, who hit about 15 clutch kicks for the Super Bowl champions--GOOD JOB HERM!). The Rams picked him up off the wire where he is firmly embedded behind free agent acquisition Josh Brown. Denver has expressed interest in a trade for Medlock, although they are reportedly unwilling to part with a draft pick. If they can make this deal happen, Medlock would be a young, inexpensive prospect with tons of upside to push Prater in camp this season.
  

That's a wrap.

Proposed NFL Rule Changes

According to the Rocky Mountain News, the NFL will vote on the following proposed changes for the upcoming season:

• Allowing defensive players to wear headsets like quarterbacks currently do.
  
  My Take: DO IT NOW! Is there any doubt that this will pass? After the enduring the idiocy of Spygate, this is a change that must be made to restore the fan's (and Senator's) confidence.
  
  
• If you have long hair, its got to be tucked into your jersey.
  
  My Take: DUMB MOVE. This post just about sums it up. This initiative is almost as stupid as this.
  
  
• Base playoff seedings on record (for the 3rd through 6th seeds) rather than automatically awarding the three-seed the top spot.
  
  My Take: DUMB MOVE. So let me get this straight, I win my division, fail to receive a bye because a team in another division--who could of just had a softer division and softer schedule--had a better record. Now I'm looking at a wild-card seeding because the second-place finisher in a crappy division finished a game better than me.
  
  The last time this rule change would have actually mattered was in 2005 where Jacksonville (12-4) would have received a higher seed than the Bengals (11-5) and Patriots (10-6), despite having a significantly easier schedule.
  
  
• A vote to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement in 2010. Bowlen is one of the bleeding deacons pushing for this move.
  
  My Take: IT HAS TO HAPPEN. Its difficult to say whether Bowlen--who's acted like he's teetering on bankruptcy in recent months--is putting on a show for the owners and the NFLPA, or if he's got legitimate financial problems. I seriously doubt its the latter of the two. However, I have serious concerns about the competitive landscape in the NFL. In my opinion, the salary cap acceleration is destroying parity in the NFL. The salary cap is supposed to be a price ceiling. If the ceiling is above the market-clearing cap figure, it over-burdens small market teams. Some kind of adjustment is needed (either in terms of revenue sharing or salary cap) to keep things competitive. Sadly, there will probably be a lockout in 2010 (here is a portentous article from SI on this subject).
  
  
• Formally put in place a 5 to 7 day period prior to free agency for players to talk to suitors.
  
  My Take: *YAWN* This is obviously a rule intended to send a signal that teams will no longer get away with free-agent tampering. I'm actually excited about this rule change given that Herm Edwards will finally quit sniveling."

That's a wrap.