Before concluding their annual meetings in Florida this week, NFL owners passed a few rules changes that will take effect in 2008. Aside from passing those changes, owners also decided to table the discussion of re-seeding for the playoffs until a future date.
Defensive player-coach communication
On Tuesday of this past week, owners approved a proposal that allows one defensive player to have a communication device in his helmet that will allow for coach-to-player communication.
The defense can have only one player with this device on the field at any given time, but the team may also designate a second player to have the device in the event that the original player leaves the field.
No more “force out” rule
Officials will now only have to decide if a receiver successfully landed in bounds with possession, rather than deciding if a defender forced the receiver out of bounds before he had the opportunity to land both feet.
This change should allow for more consistency in sideline catch rulings because it eliminates one area of judgment for officials.
Elimination of five-yard facemask penalty
Only personal foul face-masking penalties, which include the grabbing and twisting of the face mask, will be called and enforced. Previously, officials had to determine if a face-masking penalty was less severe (a five-yard penalty) or more severe (a 15-yard penalty).
This change may present some gray area until officials begin calling (or not calling) certain face-masking incidents. The change does take away one area of judgment for the officials in that they now don’t have to decipher between a five- and 15-yard penalty, but they still have to decide between no penalty at all and a 15-yard penalty.
Teams can now defer the option on the opening coin toss
A team that wins the coin toss can now defer, rather than choosing to kick or receive. The rule now is similar to the college rule on coin tosses. Previously, the winning team could choose only between kicking off and receiving the opening kickoff.
Theoretically, a team could wind up receiving both the game-opening kickoff and the halftime kickoff. If the winning team of the coin toss defers, and for some reason the losing team chooses to kick (thinking they would receive the halftime kickoff), the winning team of the coin toss would then get their choice to open the second half and would choose to receive.
Instant replay review for field goals
This change says that certain field goals, including kicks that bounced off the uprights or cross-bar, can now be reviewed by instant replay. Under the previous system, no field goals could be reviewed.
This change stems from a game last season in which a field goal attempt from the foot of Browns kicker Phil Dawson hit the cross-bar and bounced back towards the field. Originally, the officials ruled the kick no good. But after discussing it, the officials correctly ruled the kick good. Under the new system, those officials would have been able to look at an instant replay.
Direct snap from center treated as a fumble
An errant or mistimed direct snap from center will now be treated as a fumble, whereas in the past it was treated as a false start. For example, if Peyton Manning is barking out signals to his offensive teammates and the snap from center Jeff Saturday hits him in the chest and bounces away, the ball will be live and treated as a fumble.