NFL considering nipping tuck rule

The tuck rule could disappear from NFL games if owners approve a proposal from the competition committee to dump it.

The owners, who meet next week in Phoenix, also will consider a change to instant replay rules allowing for a video review even when a coach makes an illegal challenge.

Under the tuck rule, if a passer is in the act of bringing the ball down into his body rather than throwing it and loses control, it is ruled an incomplete pass. The proposal under consideration would make it a fumble.

Competition Committee co-chairman Rich McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons, noted the controversial history of the tuck rule Thursday. He said the change has full support from on-field officials, particularly now that all turnovers are automatically reviewed.

“What is happening is a great majority of these plays are appropriately called fumbles,” McKay said on a conference call. “Then officials go into replay and look at it, and under the rule if the tuck had not been completed [the call] has to be reversed from … a fumble. They think they can call it and can understand when a passer has lost control of the ball, so we felt more comfortable proposing the rule.”

Three player safety rule changes will be proposed:

Initiating contact with the crown of the helmet would be a foul if a tackler or a runner does it when both players are outside the tackle box. Incidental contact with the crown of the helmet would not be a penalty.

No longer could offensive players make a low block when facing their own end zone and they are inside the tackle box. That will prohibit so-called peel-back blocks anywhere on the field.

Teams couldn’t line up more than six players on either side of the snapper for field goals and extra points. And teammates couldn’t be pushed through gaps in the protection on those kicks.

One other proposal will allow teams to keep players on the physically unable to perform list through Week 11 instead of Week 9.

Sports, Pages 19 on 03/15/2013

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