2014 NFL Annual Meeting Review

  From March 23rd to March 26th , the NFL held their annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, to discuss several topics heading into the 2014 regular season. The NFL's annual meeting is one of the few chances when owners, general managers, and coaches from all 32 teams can assemble and attempt to improve the league. The annual meeting is also one of the few non-competitive events during the year, and is the starting place of several new rules and procedures in the NFL. The 2014 NFL annual meeting covered several important topics, including player safety, locker room conduct, officiating changes, and several minor game changes.

  Of the 32 NFL owners that were invited to attend the annual meeting, two key owners were not able to go for the entire three-day conference. Jim Irsay of the Indianapolis Colts and Ralph Wilson Jr. of the Buffalo Bills both did not attend the annual meeting from March 23rd to March 26th.

  One week before the annual meeting, Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, was arrested for driving while intoxicated and felony prescription drug possession. After being arrested, Irsay began to seek help in order to solve his issues with drug use, and his therapy caused him to miss the meeting in Orlando. So far, it is unknown how long Jim Irsay will be out of his role with the Colts, and Irsay's daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, replaced him in the meeting. When asked about possible discipline for Jim Irsay, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated: "...the first priority is that he (Jim Irsay) is seeking help, and he has done that voluntarily...We (the NFL) would obviously want to understand the facts before we take steps in any discipline. Obviously, any policies or laws that are broken...are subject to discipline."

  On March 25th, the NFL lost one of their living legends, Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. Wilson founded the Buffalo Bills in 1959 owned the team for over 50 years, where the Bills won two AFL championships and appeared in four Super Bowls. At 95 years old, Ralph Wilson Jr. was the last of the original AFL team owners, and left an undeniable mark on the Buffalo Bills. At the 2014 NFL annual meeting, Wilson left two giant shoes to fill, and was replaced by Buffalo's head coach and general manager, Doug Marrone and Doug Whaley. After the news of Ralph Wilson's death was released to the public, several former and current NFL players expressed their condolences for the Wilson family and the people of Buffalo.

Field Goal and PAT Changes

  Some of the most controversial stories within the NFL's annual meeting were possible changes to field goals and extra point attempts. There were several interesting changes proposed, including moving the PAT spot to the 25-yard line. Although several proposals failed to gain any momentum, there were two suggestions involving the kicking game that were approved. The most interesting of the two proposed rules is during the first two weeks of the 2014 pre-season, all PAT attempts will be kicked from the 20-yard line. This new rule is acting as an experiment to see if longer extra point attempts add excitement to the game, and this topic will surely be brought up again during next year's annual meeting. Another field goal change that will be taking place next season is extending the goal posts an additional 5 feet, making it easier to judge whether or not a field goal is successful. Note: The crossbar and base of the field goal post is not being raised. Only the two vertical structures (the posts) will be raised.

Two Officiating Changes

  Every year at the NFL's annual meeting, there seems to be yet another officiating change to make the game more efficient, and this year is no exception. Two rules involving officiating were approved this year: one involving the use of instant replay and another involving the speed of the ruling. One rule, dubbed the 'Navorro Bowman Rule' states that the recovery of a loose ball on the field is now a reviewable play. The new rule has its' name because of the play below, in the NFC Championship game. As you can clearly see, linebacker Navorro Bowman has the football in his arm, which was recovered from Seattle's receiver Jermaine Kearse. But, the call on the field was that Kearse was down by contact, and the play was not reviewable. This play obviously caused a great deal of controversy, and eventually led to the creation of this new rule. 

  Another major officiating change that was decided on was the involvement of the NFL's officiating department in football games. After any controversial plays, the officiating department in New York City can speak to the referee in the review booth to help decide the ruling on the field. This new procedure is expected to make the decision-making process for referees much shorter, since the officiating department would have a head start at reviewing the play. In addition to these officiating changes, there was also a rule passed regarding the game clock. If a quarterback is sacked outside of the two minute mark, the game clock will continue to run. 

Rule Changes for Players

  Every year, it seems as if the game of football becomes more and more challenging to play, with the seemingly endless rules for players. This year features two new rules that can also be put on the list of "Possible Ways to Get Penalized", although the rules mean well for both the players and the NFL. One of these new rules is the elimination of "roll blocks", or blocking the sides of a players' legs. This rule is to protect defenders from possible leg injuries, which can be caused by their legs being rolled up on. This is yet another safety procedure that the NFL has placed in order to protect their young men, and it should be interesting to see how much of an affect this rule can have on linemen.

  As you can see from the picture above, dunking the ball over the crossbar is becoming a new and creative way for players to celebrate after scoring. Tight end Jimmy Graham is one of the most popular players for doing this, and one time even caused a goalpost to become crooked. Although it was somewhat humorous, the NFL obviously did not appreciate having to fix the goalpost, and decided to ban dunking the ball after a touchdown. The league passed this rule to avoid any other instances with crooked goalposts, and to avoid a delay in the game. Several players replied to the rule with exasperation, and Jimmy Graham tweeted that he would have the most penalties in the NFL in 2014.

Note: Despite the three-day long meeting between the league's owners, there were several changes that have not been decided on. Some of these changes include specifics on roster room for certain scenarios, additional cameras, and other minor changes. These changes will be decided at a later date.