NFL owners approve new 2021 rules for replay, onside kicks

[tk13]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31303703/nfl-owners-approve-replay-change-other-new-rules-2021-season

Owners rejected more robust proposals for a full-time sky judge, including one from the Baltimore Ravens that would have created a booth umpire. Instead, owners took the more modest step of giving the existing replay officials -- who sit in the press box of each stadium -- the authority to consult with referees on certain "specific, objective aspects of a play when clear and obvious video evidence is present," according to the language of the rule.

Replay officials will not be able to throw flags or reverse calls on their own. But they can now offer referees advice based on what they've seen on broadcast replays in the areas of possession, completed or intercepted passes, the location of the ball relative to the boundary or end line, and whether a player is down by contact. Previously, replay officials have been limited to participating in plays that were under review. Coaches will not have to throw challenge flags to prompt that advice, which some replay officials have been giving referees informally for years.

In other news regarding Wednesday's votes, NFL owners:


Approved a relaxation of rules for the numbers that players of certain positions can wear because of expanded practice squads. Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, defensive backs and linebackers can all wear numbers in the single digits if they choose. Based on preexisting NFL rules, players who want to change their numbers this season will have to buy out the inventory of the NFL's manufacturing partners. This wouldn't apply to players who give notice in 2021 that they want to change numbers in 2022.


Approved a one-year experiment in an attempt to make it easier to recover onside kicks. In 2021, the receiving team on kickoffs will be limited to nine players within 25 yards of the ball. Last season, NFL teams recovered only three of 67 onside kicks, the lowest total and recovery rate since at least 2001. As a result, the Philadelphia Eagles tabled a proposal that would have given teams an option to gain 15 yards on one offensive play from their own 25-yard line to retain possession after a score.


Tabled a rule that would have expanded the area where players are prohibited from blocking below the waist. McKay said that there is enough support to pass the rule now, but that several teams had questions that will take some time to address. It could be revisited next month.


Eliminated overtime in preseason games.


Changed a rule that will now force a loss of down if two passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage.


Approved a rule change that ensures the enforcement of all accepted penalties during successive try attempts, defined as an opportunity for a team to score one or two additional points during one scrimmage down.


Did not act on a "spot or choose" proposal from the Ravens for the winner of the overtime coin toss. In that scenario, the team would have the option to choose either which team will have the first possession of overtime or where the ball would be spotted.


Decided to include taunting among its points of emphasis for 2021. McKay clarified that the emphasis wouldn't be directed at celebrations but toward acrimonious interaction among players.


Completed a study of the sharp drop in offensive holding during the 2020 season. McKay said that Walt Anderson, the NFL's senior vice president of training and development, would clarify the standard and put together a video for teams to consume before the 2021 season.

[eDave]

Easier onside kicks. That's big.

[tmax63]

Replay ref in the ear of the field referee could be big. Wonder how many late flags right at the end of a play get thrown after the booth guy says "hey you missed"...

[RealSNR]

So does that mean any time a ball is kicked the receiving team can't have more than 9 players within 25 yards?

That's the only way I can envision this working out seamlessly to allow for fake kickoffs and such. If it means a different formation depending on whether or not the kicking team is attempting an onside kick, there dies another part of the game we all love.

At least they're not doing that retarded "You can attempt to convert a 4th and 15!" thing. That would have been such a clunky rule. I don't care if the Chiefs would have gained from it. It makes zero fucking sense.

[eDave]

Hill peace sign is out.

[SupDock]

Replay ref in the ear of the field referee could be big. Wonder how many late flags right at the end of a play get thrown after the booth guy says "hey you missed"...

This is the part that seems interesting to me. I am having visions of referees calling down and saying Tom Brady was down by contact on a fumble, and us being out of challenges so we cannot request a review

I also thought it was interesting that they mentioned this was happening unofficially already. I seem to recall a play with the Chiefs where a call was reversed well after a play was over, and it was not officially reviewed

[Fish]

Changed a rule that will now force a loss of down if two passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage.

Well, now we know why Alex Smith retired...

[Why Not?]

Hill peace sign is out.

Not necessarily. If he does it in the face of an opponent, yeah. But, if he does it the last few yards of a TD where he has left everyone far in the dust, probably not. At least how I'm reading this rule.

[RickObie]

Changed a rule that will now force a loss of down if two passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage.

What does that actually mean..If a team throws it behind the line on 2nd and 3rd down they lose 4th down?

[RealSNR]

What the fuck does this mean?

Approved a rule change that ensures the enforcement of all accepted penalties during successive try attempts, defined as an opportunity for a team to score one or two additional points during one scrimmage down.

Isn't that what we had before? Enforce penalties on all point(s) after trys?

[smithandrew051]

“ . As a result, the Philadelphia Eagles tabled a proposal that would have given teams an option to gain 15 yards on one offensive play from their own 25-yard line to retain possession after a score.”

I like this idea. I think it would make close games much more exciting, but I can already see a team getting screwed on a phantom PI or defensive hold.

[Discuss Thrower]

Changed a rule that will now force a loss of down if two passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage.

What does that actually mean..If a team throws it behind the line on 2nd and 3rd down they lose 4th down?

QB#1 makes a forward or backward pass behind the LOS to WR#10. WR#10 can only throw the pass past the LOS.

[DaneMcCloud]

Changed a rule that will now force a loss of down if two passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage.

What does that actually mean..If a team throws it behind the line on 2nd and 3rd down they lose 4th down?

No.

This rule was suggested by the Rams. In last season's Bucs-Rams game, Tom Brady threw a pass that didn't go beyond the line of scrimmage and bounced back to him, so he threw it to another player behind the line of scrimmage.

This rule will make that second pass behind the line of scrimmage illegal and result in a loss of down, regardless of how many yards the second receiver has gained.

[RickObie]

QB#1 makes a forward or backward pass behind the LOS to WR#10. WR#10 can only throw the pass past the LOS.

Got it...I'm an idiot...

[RickObie]

...and thanks!

[Hammock Parties]

The rules on player numbers is going to cause some fuckups when defenses get in the wrong personnel package.

Mark my words, some dipshit is going to mistake a WR wearing 40 for a FB and it will be 6.

[Discuss Thrower]

The rules on player numbers is going to cause some ****ups when defenses get in the wrong personnel package.

Mark my words, some dipshit is going to mistake a WR wearing 40 for a FB and it will be 6.

I'm pretty sure most if not all NFL players can distinguish between colors.

[Hammock Parties]

I'm pretty sure most if not all NFL players can distinguish between colors.

Read the post again and try to understand.

[Discuss Thrower]

Yeah I'm totally lost on this take. I'm pretty sure by the time the regular season rolls around the receivers can all have the same number and the starting QB will still know which guys he wants to prioritize in his first two reads.

[Hammock Parties]

Yeah I'm totally lost on this take.

Whoever's calling the package on defense mistakes a WR for a FB because of his number.

Might be even worse if offenses try to take advantage and line the WR up in the backfield.

[carlos3652]

so buy buy any pass backs on last second chances... basically you cant lateral backwards if you are behind the line of scrimmage.

So you cant check down on a flea flicker?

[Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan]

They're talking about the play where Brady threw a pass, it was batted back to him and then he threw it again.

There was a penalty, but all that mean was it was 3 & 15 instead of 3&5.

LA wanted to be certain if something like that happened again, it was a 10 yard penalty and loss of down, just like intentional grounding.

[Peter Gibbons]

Changed a rule that will now force a loss of down if two passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage.

What does that actually mean..If a team throws it behind the line on 2nd and 3rd down they lose 4th down?

This is probably the real reason Alex Smith retired.
You know, tragedy + time = humor. Is it too soon?

[eDave]

This is probably the real reason Alex Smith retired.
You know, tragedy + time = humor. Is it too soon?

Why do you say that?

[Sofa King]

Well, now we know why Alex Smith retired...

Well fuck, I came here to make this same fucking joke. You stole it.

[ThyKingdomCome15]

Changed a rule that will now force a loss of down if two passes are completed behind the line of scrimmage.

What does that actually mean..If a team throws it behind the line on 2nd and 3rd down they lose 4th down?

This is a Tom Brady rule. He caught his own deflected pass and slung it to make it fourth down. The Rams declined the penalty to get it to fourth down. The pass counted. Now you can accept the penalty and the pass won't count.

[Discuss Thrower]

Whoever's calling the package on defense mistakes a WR for a FB because of his number.

Might be even worse if offenses try to take advantage and line the WR up in the backfield.

Got it.

Still dunno if I agree that'll be a thing. Does it happen in college?

[alpha_omega]

So an onside attempt is now a 9 on 11 situation?

[DaneMcCloud]

So an onside attempt is now a 9 on 11 situation?

In 2021, the receiving team on kickoffs will be limited to nine players within 25 yards of the ball

[wazu]

So an onside attempt is now a 9 on 11 situation?

More like 9 on 10 since can't really count the kicker.

[Lzen]

“ . As a result, the Philadelphia Eagles tabled a proposal that would have given teams an option to gain 15 yards on one offensive play from their own 25-yard line to retain possession after a score.”

I like this idea. I think it would make close games much more exciting, but I can already see a team getting screwed on a phantom PI or defensive hold.

Fuck that!

[Lzen]

Got it...I'm an idiot...

Don't feel bad. I interpreted it the same way. It should have said "... on a down".

[Discuss Thrower]

Don't feel bad. I interpreted it the same way. It should have said "... on a down".

The Brady play didn't stick out in my head enough to make that the clearest interpretation of the rule so that's how I rationalized what I wrote.

Thing is that makes sense to stop "two" passes behind the LOS as if on a batted back to the QB situations.. but in the event a defense doesn't smoke the second passer: it effectively bans otherwise legal trick play passes in the offensive backfield..

[Ming the Merciless]

Why do you say that?


edave's youtube channel when people are mean to alex smith:


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dsceq8G1JoU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[KChiefs1]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YlhvS0Ea2N4?start=4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[KChiefs1]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PaPB7kvO2Is" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[tredadda]

I really wish they would one day deal with the issue of how penalties are enforced in the sense of balance. What I mean is a 5 yard penalty shouldn't offset a 15 yard one. I am fine with in a situation like that where the beneficiary of the 15 yard penalty gets only 10 yards instead.

[BigCatDaddy]

I still want DPI to be a flat 15 yard penalty instead of the spot foul shit.

[tredadda]

I still want DPI to be a flat 15 yard penalty instead of the spot foul shit.

If Alex Smith were still our QB I would be 100% on board as that would almost always be a net positive in yards gained. With Mahomes I feel differently as he routinely slings it more than 15 yards and I want to punish defenses for PI penalties against us.

[oldman]

In 2021, the receiving team on kickoffs will be limited to nine players within 25 yards of the ball

Does that mean the ball at the kickoff? The field is 53 1/3 yards wide, so how are they going to measure that? You know Belicheat will push that both ways.

[morphius]

The emphasis on taunting is going to be painful, could be a lot of game changing penalties for some truly basic crap.

[A Salt Weapon]

If Alex Smith were still our QB I would be 100% on board as that would almost always be a net positive in yards gained. With Mahomes I feel differently as he routinely slings it more than 15 yards and I want to punish defenses for PI penalties against us.

As we’ve seen many times, NFL refs don’t give a shit about defenses committing PI against the Chiefs.

[Rain Man]

What the **** does this mean?



I was about to ask the same thing. I have no idea what they're talking about.



Of course, no rule change is going to matter until they make a rule that refs can't call fake defensive holding penalties in Tom Brady's favor.

[morphius]

Does that mean the ball at the kickoff? The field is 53 1/3 yards wide, so how are they going to measure that? You know Belicheat will push that both ways.

It just means that everyone else will have to be at the 40 on the opposite side of the field, or back, until the ball is kicked.

[Hammock Parties]

YEP

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EzlzPtsXMAAuCO2?format=jpg&name=large

[lcarus]

Under the old rules, the kicking team had like a 10-15% chance to recover. The year before the rule change it was actually 21%. I would vote for it to revert back to the old rules.

But if they implement the new rule where you have to get 15 yards, that would be a great advantage for Mahomes, so by all means....

[ChiefBlueCFC]

Hill peace sign is out.

I don't know why the NFL has such a problem with "taunting." Like Hill throwing up the dueces, when he is 15-20 yards away from any defender and being flagged for taunting is stupid as shit. Like what happened in the Super Bowl I sorta get, but at the same time, you gotta expect it thrown back in your face when you have the worst game of your career in the super bowl.

NFL is truly the no fun league.

[The Franchise]

Imagine that. Tom Brady is a whiny bitch about everything.

[The Franchise]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kickers/punters around the NFL today <a href="https://t.co/rx8z3dKU57">pic.twitter.com/rx8z3dKU57</a></p>&mdash; Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonThornNFL/status/1384960238101712899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[JakeF]

I'm not sure why the NFL is so intent on taunting. These are grown, men. Just make sure they know they can retaliate. A little taunting actually fires people up and makes the game more physical.

[eDave]

edave's youtube channel when people are mean to alex smith:


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dsceq8G1JoU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It has nothing to do with anything like that. What it does have to do with is the rule not having anything close to what his joke is asserting. Though it had already been clarified a few times before he delivered that gem.

Get it now?

[KChiefs1]

Imagine that. Tom Brady is a whiny bitch about everything.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/COQ9dmEAYOA?start=2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[cdcox]

I hate this.

Approved a one-year experiment in an attempt to make it easier to recover onside kicks. In 2021, the receiving team on kickoffs will be limited to nine players within 25 yards of the ball. Last season, NFL teams recovered only three of 67 onside kicks, the lowest total and recovery rate since at least 2001. As a result, the Philadelphia Eagles tabled a proposal that would have given teams an option to gain 15 yards on one offensive play from their own 25-yard line to retain possession after a score.

Just roll dice and create an automatic turnover. It would have as much basis in the skill of players as making onside kicks successful more frequently.

[cdcox]

I still want DPI to be a flat 15 yard penalty instead of the spot foul shit.

Defenders will hack on any play where they are beat over 30 yards, or with potential to score. You think you want it, but it would severely cut the effectiveness of long passes, which would neuter much of Mahomes value.

[RealSNR]

If Tom Brady actually gave a shit about good football, he would have killed himself years ago.

[eDave]

If Tom Brady actually gave a shit about good football, he would have killed himself years ago.

Saanap!

LMAO LMAO

[oldman]

It just means that everyone else will have to be at the 40 on the opposite side of the field, or back, until the ball is kicked.

That's the way I read it, too. But there will be "someone" that will argue that a player on the far side is 25 yards away from the ball. You know how he is.

[oldman]

Defenders will hack on any play where they are beat over 30 yards, or with potential to score.

You see some of that now. I'd be in favor of creating a spot foul for flagrant DPI and 15 for incidental contact. But again, there'd be "some QBs" that would get the gray calls.

[KChiefs1]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WJX46kbddmw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[morphius]

You see some of that now. I'd be in favor of creating a spot foul for flagrant DPI and 15 for incidental contact. But again, there'd be "some QBs" that would get the gray calls.

Heck, I would like to see them just change the rule so that if the defender is in a position, and the receiver tries to run through him, then it shouldn't be a penalty on the defender.

[ChiefBlueCFC]

They should implement the rule change where they enforce the rules equally for all teams

[Rasputin]

They should implement the rule change where they enforce the rules equally for all teams

Yeah. I think refs should be held accountable and answer questions after games for bogus calls or bullshit calls.

[mililo4cpa]

One rule change I'd like to see, and don't know if ever been brought up (I'd have to think so at some point in the history of football): The automatic first down given on defensive penalties.

If it were me, instead of the automatic first down, I'd give the penalty yardage and a repeat of the previous down. If the yardage results in a first down being obtained, then fine, but if it doesn't, you repeat the down.

Nothing infuriates me more than when there is 5 yard defensive holding call on a corner away from the ball 3rd and 15 that gives a new set of down. Under my scenario, they assess the 5 yards and repeat 3rd down (which is now 3rd and 10).....a yeah, I don't even like it when it benefits the Chiefs....I think it's simply a bad football rule.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'd like to hear the compelling argument for why the automatic first down is even a thing.

EDIT: This goes for Pass Interference as well. I'm OK with the spot of the foul placement, but if that spot doesn't result in a first down, then you repeat the down again. So, if it's 3rd and 15 at the offenses own 30 yard line, and the PI occurs at the 40 yard line, after the penalty, it would be 3rd and 5 at the 40