NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent said that the league's "new football custody and testing procedures that came as a reaction to the Patriots' Deflategate incident will continue" for the '16 season, according to Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. Vincent said that there is "no need to modify the procedures after the NFL had 'no violations'" in '15. He was then asked to "clarify if 'no violations' meant that no ball measured under 12.5 PSI." Vincent said that the NFL instead "focused on the custody of the game balls." He said, "There was no violation of game balls being checked in at the appropriate time. There was no violation of game balls being in the officials locker room, being brought to the field, back to the locker rooms at halftime, and then the balls being brought back to the locker room post game. So it's the procedure of the balls themselves" (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 3/17).
BEST FOOT FORWARD: PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Michael David Smith notes the NFL Competition Committee has put forward a proposal for next week's owner's meetings that would "allow all coaches on sidelines and in the coaches' booths to watch videos on their tablets." It is "hard to believe this bylaw won't pass," as people "in all walks of life use technology to make their jobs easier, and NFL coaches should be no different" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 3/18). On Long Island, Bob Glauber notes NFL owners also will vote on a proposal that "would result in automatic ejection if a player is penalized twice for unsportsmanlike conduct." The proposal comes six weeks after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his Super Bowl press conference "suggested he wanted to see a rule leading to automatic ejections for unsportsmanlike conduct." There were 75 unsportsmanlike penalties called last season, "compared to an average of 50 the previous five seasons" (NEWSDAY, 3/18). In K.C., Terez Paylor notes the Chiefs have "submitted two rules proposals for discussion." The first is to "add penalty yards to the distance needed to gain a first down, while the second is to prohibit quarterbacks from falling to the ground, getting up, and throwing a forward pass" (K.C. STAR, 3/18). NJ.com's Dom Cosentino lists all 19 proposed rules changes.
MORE, PLEASE: The GLOBE's Volin writes there "should be a 20th rule on this list" that would "expand rosters from 53 to at least 57 players." The idea has "been kicked around league circles for years." Falcons President & CEO Rich McKay, who is also Chair of the Competition Committee, said roster expansion is discussed almost every year and "definitely gets some interest from a lot of clubs." But McKay added that the NFL "is hesitant to change the system" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/18).
