When the NFL introduces a funky rule change or tries to reinvent the wheel by changing kickoff distances or other things that seem strange to football purists, the guys actually ruling on and suggesting and discussing these rules are never mentioned. They are the hidden tastemakers of the NFL.
With the advent of Twitter, the public is privy to more things once considered internal information to the NFL.
A few hours ago, Troy Vincent, Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the NFL, tweeted out today’s agenda for the NFL’s Competition Committee meetings in Indianapolis. The former five-time pro bowl cornerback also listed the names of all of the committee big wigs.
On the agenda for day two of our @NFL Competition Committee meetings: neutral zone infractions, pre-snap movement & downfield contact. pic.twitter.com/mPqTE5gUAr
Troy Vincent (@TroyVincent23) February 28, 2017
More specifically, the NFLs Competition Committee is discussing two proposals that would significantly alter officiating — whether to make referees full-time employees and how to centralize the replay review system. Fans dont usually give a hoot about these meetings as game-altering changes are rarely implemented. It’s usually the accumulation of a bunch of rules changes over the years that alters the actual product.
Says long-time veteran Judy Battista of NFL.com, According to one league official familiar with the committee’s conversations during its meetings here at the NFL Scouting Combine, there is increasing support for both ideas. The full-time referees would be gradually phased in, to give current referees the opportunity to either exit their current careers or to leave the officiating ranks. But if the idea is approved, the phase in could start as soon as this season. According to the official, there is greater interest in full-time referees than there is in adding an eighth member to the officiating crews. In the past, officials have resisted the idea of becoming full-time employees because they did not want to give up their other, in some cases lucrative, jobs, so one question that would linger over the process would be how many referees — the top member of each crew — would leave officiating and have to be replaced.
There is also increasing support for centralized review, which would presumably be operated out of the league’s officiating headquarters in New York. The hope, the league official said, is that centralized review would improve two areas: consistency of officiating and the time it takes to review calls. League officials have become disenchanted with referees going under a hood to review replays on the sideline and there is a push to limit the number and length of interruptions to games. The referee on the field would still be involved in the review process — the league official said the NFL did not want the referee to simply stand on the field awaiting the decision from the centralized review office — but this would be a significant step to take review off the field.
The Competition Committee will continue to meet this week, then convenes once more before the league’s annual meeting in late March, at which time the votes on new rules will take place.
NFL.com also says that the committee is discussing extending the one-year experiment with putting touchbacks at the 25-yard line. The rule, which was used in 2016, decreased the number of returns which was their objective because returns are considered one of the most contact heavy plays in the game and supposedly, the NFLs main objective the past few seasons has been increasing player safety.
