BOCA RATON, Fla. – Some changes are coming to the NFL in 2016.
A few impact the Indianapolis Colts.
Touchbacks will now move to the 25-yard line, which has to spark some thoughts from Pat McAfee, who set an NFL-record with a 90.5 percent touchback rate last season.
Also, clubs can now have direct communication from the press box to the designated player headset on the field. This alleviates an extra point man between Rob Chudzinski (up in the booth) and the headset of Andrew Luck.
Here are the nine proposals passing at least 75 percent of the ownership's vote at the league's Annual Meetings this week:
1. By Competition Committee; Permanently moves the line of scrimmage for Try kicks to the defensive team's 15-yard line, and allows the defense to return any missed Try.
2. By Competition Committee; Permits the offensive and defensive play callers on the coaching staffs to use the coach-to-player communication system regardless of whether they are on the field or in the coaches' booth.
3. By Competition Committee; Makes all chop blocks illegal.
4. By Competition Committee; Disqualifies a player who is penalized twice in one game for certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. Amended to one-year only.
5. By Competition Committee; Changes the spot of the next snap after a touchback resulting from a free kick to the 25-yard line. Amended to one-year only.
6. By Competition Committee; Expands the horse collar rule to include when a defender grabs the jersey at the name plate or above and pulls a runner toward the ground.
7. By Competition Committee; Makes it a foul for delay of game when a team attempts to call a timeout when it is not permitted to do so.
8. By Competition Committee; Eliminates the five-yard penalty for an eligible receiver illegally touching a forward pass after being out of bounds and re-establishing himself inbounds, and makes it a loss of down.
9. By Competition Committee; Eliminates multiple spots of enforcement for a double foul after a change of possession.
