NFL owners vote in rules changes--but table one Pete Carroll, Seahawks may have liked
Pete Carroll won’t get a intriguing new toy to use during games this year, after all.
But he and his Seahawks will get added roster flexibility.
NFL owners approved rules changes for 2020 during a virtual meeting on Thursday, including expanding the number of players they can bring back from injured reserve. But owners tabled the league’s most intriguing proposal this year: to give a scoring team the option of going for a first down on fourth and 15 from its own 25-yard line instead of trying the practically impossible onside kick, the effectiveness of which the league has already pretty much legislated out of the league.
Carroll used the 4th-and-15 option as coach of the NFC all-star team late in the Pro Bowl in January. Kirk Cousins’ deep pass was intercepted. The league added the option on an experimental basis just for that exhibition game.
The owners want to discuss and review the proposed option more before possibly adding it for a future regular season.
Owners got rid of the flawed 2019 rule allowing replay reviews of plays with pass-interference penalties or non-calls. The rule was promising for intent, to avoid egregious errors of huge PI calls and non-calls, such as the Rams-Saints NFC title game two postseason ago. But the league’s application of it last season was woeful.
Seizing an opportunity while the NFL figured it out, Carroll loved testing that new rule last season. He had varying, mostly negative, results. His successful challenge of no call on debatable contact by the Steelers with Tyler Lockett in the fourth quarter helped Seattle win an early season game at Pittsburgh. After that, the league basically shut down overturns of PI calls and non-calls for the rest of last season.
The owners did approve a change for 2020 of increasing the number of players each team can designate to return from injured reserve per season from two to three.
The Seahawks used the designated-to-return-from-IR option the then-maximum two times last season: with tight end Ed Dickson and reserve offensive lineman Ethan Pocic.
Dickson practiced for one day in November in a return from knee surgery, then felt more pain in the knee. He went back on IR. Seattle released him in a cost-cutting move in March.
Pocic played in two games, starting last season’s opener at left guard, then went on injured reserve in October. The team activated him from IR Dec. 14. He then got a core injury and went back on IR for the playoffs on Dec. 31.
Owners on Thursday also voted to make permanent the expansion of automatic replay reviews to include scoring plays and turnovers negated by a penalty, and any successful or unsuccessful points-after-touchdown attempt.
The rule for pass receivers affording them defenseless player protection was expanded to a kickoff or punt returner who is in possession of the ball but who has not had time to avoid or ward off the impending contact of an opponent.
The owners also voted to prevent teams from manipulating the game clock by committing multiple dead-ball fouls while the clock is running.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 12:17 PM.
