NFL Head Coaches Not Happy With Proposed Rule Changes
 

A controversial suggested NFL rule change may be getting kicked to the curb in favor of a revamped proposal
After receiving feedback from head coaches at the NFL meetings in New Orleans, the league's competition committee will meet Monday night to discuss amending a major special-teams rule that would radically change the nature of kickoffs.
The current proposal would move kickoffs from the 30- to 35-yard line and give offenses possession at their own 25 on touchbacks. Two-man blocking wedges would be banned. Members of the kickoff team also would not be allowed to receive more than a 5-yard head of steam when running downfield in coverage.
When speaking with the New England Patriots media on Monday morning, head coach Bill Belichick expressed displeasure with the proposed changes.
“It’s a pretty complicated proposal,” Belichick said. “I don’t like the idea of eliminating kickoffs from the game. It’s one of the most exciting plays in football. It looks like the competition committee is trying to eliminate that play. I don’t know if that’s really good for the game.”
NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay understands the concerns of Belichick and other head coaches. McKay, though, also believes such changes are "in the best interest of the game" to promote better player safety.
"I don't blame any of them for saying, 'Wow. This is a big change.' It is," McKay said. "I don't blame anybody for pushing back. But our focus in this one was dealing with what we thought we saw on film with respect to the safety issues. . . . This is 100 percent about safety."
One general manager told FOXSports.com the competition committee has done a poor job making that argument.
"Prove to us that eliminating the kickoff return as we've known it will be a factor in player safety," he said. "There are more dangerous plays than kickoffs. What about the onside kick? We just need a better explanation how this will help the game."
McKay said the player-safety sentiment applies for two other proposed changes. One would be designed to protect "defenseless" wide receivers, i.e. those attempting to catch a pass or who have completed a catch and not had time to protect themselves or clearly become a runner.
The other change would further ban illegal "launching," which occurs when a defensive player leaves his feet to strike an opponent with his helmet.
"We're seeing more players become comfortable with the idea that their helmet can be the initial point of contact either in a tackle or block than we ever used to," McKay said.
The rules proposals need approval from 24 of the NFL's 32 teams in Tuesday's vote. Even if the three major proposals are defeated, they aren't necessarily dead forever. NFL executive vice president Ray Anderson said commissioner Roger Goodell has the power to enact rules "in certain cases" without a franchise vote, but the league prefers to have feedback from team officials.
"We don't want to unilaterally change the game because we think we have all the answers," Anderson said. "There's a process. It's not appropriate for us to just willy-nilly make changes. . . . We want to do it in a more inclusive, democratic way. But player safety is absolutely critical. If there's a critical point where we feel we have to act in the best interest of the game and there's no other way to do it but unilaterally, we have the authority to do that."
McKay pointed out that NFL rules changes usually have a trickle-down effect on college teams, which makes the league's emphasis on player safety even more important. But one suggested NFL rule changes stems from the NCAA ranks.
The NFL is proposing that all playing surfaces must remain grass-colored rather than painted in the fashion of such fields as the blue "Smurf Turf" at Boise State University.