NFL owners consider postseason rule changes
The NFL Competition Committee's proposal would give wild-card teams a better chance of hosting a first-round game. The two division winners with the best records in each conference would still enjoy a first-round bye, but seeds No. 3 through No. 6 would be slotted by record, although division winners would have a tiebreaker edge over wild-card qualifiers.
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If the rule had been implemented last season, wild-card teams Jacksonville (11-5) and the New York Giants (10-6) would have opened the first round at home. Both played on the road against division winners with lesser marks in Pittsburgh (10-6) and Tampa Bay (9-7), respectively.
Should the proposal receive the 24 owner votes needed to pass, the regular season's final week could get much more interesting than it was in 2007.
Like most other clubs that already had secured a home playoff game, the Steelers and Buccaneers had the luxury of extensively playing backups in Week 17. Washington and Tennessee also had easier paths to wild-card berths because Dallas and Indianapolis pulled their starters early in preparation for the postseason.
"We do support the idea that a (system) re-working can (make) more games count late in the year," Atlanta Falcons President and Competition Committee co-chairman Rich McKay said Wednesday on an NFL conference call. "We think that's a better solution than trying to get into the business of legislating who a coach should play."
McKay said the playoff proposal doesn't stem from what happened last season but the nature of the eight-division format the league adopted in 2002.
"A situation could develop where a division or two is extremely weak and would create an imbalance," McKay said.
Potential changes stemming from two other hot-button NFL topics — Spygate and player tampering — will also be discussed.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to strengthen and clarify rules to gain more authority in punishing teams that commit violations like the New England Patriots, which were caught illegally videotaping the New York Jets' defensive signals in the 2007 season-opener.
The Patriots were stripped of a 2008 first-round draft choice and fined $250,000. Coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and could face suspension if more rules infractions are later revealed.
NFL executive Ray Anderson said Goodell has suggested requiring that a team supervisor (i.e. owner, president/general manager or head coach) sign off every year "certifying compliance with NFL rules and policy."
"We think that will help accountability," Anderson said.
The league also is expected to conduct more spot checks, take steps to better insure the confidentiality of whistle-blowers, and improve technology that can help detect rule-breaking activity.
"It's naïve to think our house has been pure forever, but we're compelled to move forward," Anderson said. "The (Spygate) incident this year accelerated the urgency to do anything we can so that we're having a pure game and aren't tainted."
One proposal that would help eliminate signal stealing is allowing a communication device inside the helmet of a defensive player. While falling two votes short of passing last year, McKay said he believes the measure has a better chance of approval next week.
San Francisco was stripped of a fifth-round draft choice on Monday after Goodell determined the 49ers had tampered in-season with a player under contract elsewhere (Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs).
The judgment was considered surprising because illegal contact between teams and representatives of pending free agents is widespread before the start of the signing period. The Competition Committee believes establishing a five-to-seven-day window where such negotiations would be allowed can correct the problem.
McKay said the measure, which is similar to the one enacted by the NBA, would help clubs who have strong interest in re-signing their own players. The proposal will be discussed next week but not presented for vote until the NFL's spring meeting in May.
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| If the NFL owners approve it, this may not be the Troy Polamalu fans see next season. (Donald Miralle / Getty Images) |
"A team can get a real clear picture of what a player's market is going to be and can make decisions accordingly," McKay said. "Now, they're operating in the dark until free agency opens."
Other rules changes up for vote next week include:
"The rule says a receiver can't be carried or pushed out of bounds by an opponent," McKay said. "We would delete 'pushed'...There are so many levels of judgment that go into a force-out call. This would be much more consistent. Either you get your feet down or not."
"We don't have the camera angle to support a good picture there," McKay said.
The NFL also will announce its 2008 nationally televised games on Monday. The New York Giants are expected to open the regular season at home on September 4. The game reportedly will start at 7 p.m. EST to avoid a conflict with John McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
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