The NFL offseason is heating up now that the new league year has started and free agency frenzy is in the rearview mirror. One part of the NFL offseason that most fans overlook is the Annual League Meeting, commonly known as the owner’s meeting. It is an important milestone where, among other topics, teams can propose rule changes for the upcoming season. Two NFL teams submitted some interesting proposal this year.
The NFL has distributed club rule change proposals ahead of next week’s Annual League Meeting per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. This year’s batch includes a few interesting proposals from the Lions and Eagles. It also includes the Packers’ proposal to ban the Tush Push, which has previously been reported.
Detroit submitted a proposal that would eliminate automatic first downs for defensive holding and illegal contact penalties. Both calls are currently automatic first downs on top of penalty yardage. The Lions suggest simply removing the automatic first down portion of the rule, leaving the rest of the rule unchanged.
Philadelphia submitted a proposal that would apply the current playoff overtime rules to regular season games. The NFL changed the way these rules work a few years ago after the Bills’ offense never saw the field in the AFC Championship game.
Essentially, the current NFL playoff overtime rules guarantee that each team will possess the ball at least once. Currently, an NFL team can win an overtime game during the regular season by scoring a touchdown on the opening possession. Philadelphia’s proposal would change this, guaranteeing each team one possession.
Finally, Green Bay is proposing its ban of the Tush Push play. The Packers’ proposal aims to “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.
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