Owners revamp replay rule, eliminate 'leapers'

PHOENIX - One day after approving the Oakland Raiders' move to Las Vegas, NFL owners got busy passing several rules changes and adopting resolutions aimed at speeding up the game and enhancing player safety.

Most notable on Tuesday was changing how officials handle video replays. Referees will now see replays on the field using Surface tablets, eliminating "going under the hood" to watch TV monitors.

League officiating chief Dean Blandino and his staff in New York will make the final decisions on those calls, with input from the referee, who in the past was the ultimate arbiter after consulting with league headquarters.

"I think that's important to remember, we're not taking the referee out of the equation," Blandino said. "The referee will still be involved, will still give input, but will no longer have the final say."

A proposal to cut overtime in the regular season from 15 minutes to 10 was tabled for more study and likely will be brought back at the May meetings in Chicago.

Also tabled was eliminating the mandatory summer cutdown to 75 players, which would leave only one cut at the end of preseason.

Voted down were suggestions to permit coaches to challenge any officials' decisions other than scoring plays and turnovers, which are automatically reviewed.

Washington's proposal to move the line of scrimmage to the 20-yard line instead of the 25 if a kickoff is sent through the uprights was defeated.

Other actions taken on Tuesday included a ban on crackback blocks by a backfield player who goes in motion, and creating an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for committing multiple fouls during the same down with the purpose of manipulating the game clock.

The leaper rule clearly falls under the category of enhancing player safety, competition committee chairman Rich McKay said.

"I would say it's going to go as far as it needs to from a player safety standpoint," said McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons.

"We're not going to put players in a position in which we think there is an unreasonable risk of injury.

"When we met with the NFLPA it was a rule that certainly caught their attention and they favored it right from the outset given what they felt like was a danger to the player, to the leaper and the risk of injury."

The league considered allowing players and coaches on the sidelines to use the tablets to watch video replays, but that was not on the voting agenda on Tuesday. For now, they can only look at still photos on the tablet.

"We're pleased to build on our partnership with the NFL and help lead the digital transformation of the game with today's approval of NFL referees conducting video reviews on Surface this upcoming season," said Jeff Tran, director of sports marketing and alliances at Microsoft.

"The introduction of Surface to this aspect of the game will improve consistency and accuracy of decisions and also speed up the overall review process to enhance the viewing experience for fans."

Associated Press