NFL owners, head coaches and team executives will travel to Orlando this week for the annual league meetings.
The agenda is jam-packed, as owners will vote on a variety of rules changes, including re-defining a catch and changing defensive pass interference to a 15-yard penalty rather than the current spot foul.
"Greater clarity is what the coaches were looking for," NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said regarding the proposed changes to the rules in the passing game.
Here is the rundown of events, as well as a brief overview of the ruleproposals:
Monday, March 26
- Competition committee press conference, 12 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27
- Head coaches media breakfast, 7:15-8:15 a.m. (John Harbaugh's session with the media will be live-streamed on the Ravens Facebook page, website and team app)
Wednesday, March 28
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell press conference, 12 p.m.
Rule Proposals
- Makes permanent the playing rule that changes the spot of the next snap after a touchback resulting from a free kick to the 25-yard line.
- Changes standard for a catch.
- Makes the penalties for Illegal Batting & Kicking the same.
- Amends Rule 15, Section 2, Article 5 to add fouls for roughing the passer and fouls against players in a defenseless posture as reviewable plays in the instant replay system.
- Amends Rule 15, Section 2, Article 5 to add review of personal fouls as reviewable plays in the instant replay system.
- Amends Rule 8, Section 5, Articles 1-4 to change the enforcement for defensive pass interference.
- Authorizes the designated member of the Officiating department to instruct on-field game officials to disqualify a player for a flagrant non-football act when a foul for that act is called on the field.
- Conforms the amount of time in which a team must challenge a play if there is a television commercial break following the play in question.
- Eliminates the requirement that a team who scores a winning touchdown at the end of regulation of a game to kick the extra point or go for two-point conversion.
- If there is a turnover, a team may win an overtime game, even though it scores on its second possession.
