PALM BEACH, Fla. — Instant replay and injured reserve — the NFL’s IRs — will be main topics as the owners consider several rules changes at their spring meetings this week.
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Instant replay and injured reserve — the NFL’s IRs — will be main topics as the owners consider several rules changes at their spring meetings this week.
The Buffalo Bills have proposed having the booth official make all decisions on replay reviews instead of referees. Under another suggestion, the booth official also would be allowed to review all turnovers just as he now does for all scoring plays. Last year, the committee recommended having the booth official review all scoring plays, and now it is proposing expanding his duties to all turnovers.
A change to the injured reserve requirements for a designated player would be the first alteration in rules for that list since 1993.
Until 1990, IR players had to sit out six games, and until ’93 that became four games. Then the league clamped down on teams that “hid” prospects they might lose if released by placing them on IR even if their injuries were minor — or nonexistent.
“Traditionally, in our system, injured reserve players have been out for the year,” said Rich McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons and chairman of the competition committee. “In this case, if that player was on the roster all the way through the first regular-season weekend, then you could put that player on injured reserve, designate that player for return and the player could begin to practice six weeks after he has gone on that list.”