2012 NFL Offseason

[Hooch]

Rule changes up for discussion in league meetings:

1. The Steelers have proposed that the overtime rule used in the postseason be applied to the regular season. (It’s a move that was expected in May 2010, after the new postseason overtime rule was promulgated. The Competition Committee will share its position on the proposal when it is presented to the owners. Though many coaches were opposed to the change in the overtime rules, they also believe that the same rules should apply to both the regular season and the playoffs.)

2. The Bills have proposed that the replay process by confined to the replay booth. (This one makes too much sense to pass; the on-field dog-and-pony show consumes too much time. Again, the Competition Committee will share its views when presenting the proposed rule to the owners.)

3. The Competition Committee has proposed that turnovers would be subject to automatic review, joining scoring plays and all plays in the final two minutes of either half. (The opposite would not be true — a potential interception that is called an incomplete pass on the field would be reviewed only via coach’s challenge, or if it happens in the final two minutes of either half.)

4. The Competition Committee has proposed a mild tweaking the rule regarding too many men on the field for the defensive team. (This revision comes directly in response to the play from the final drive of Super Bowl XLVI, in which the Giants unwittingly revealed a loophole that would allow the defense to deliberately use an extra player, sacrificing five yards of meaningless field position and allowing precious seconds to evaporate from the clock.)

5. The Competition Committee has proposed moving the trade deadline from the Tuesday after Week Six until the Tuesday after Week Eight. (This long-overdue adjustment adjusts the balance between allowing teams to buy and sell players against discouraging fire sales and/or efforts to load up unfairly for a postseason run.)

6. The Competition Committee has proposed expanding the preseason roster to 90 players, up from 80. (This would give teams more bodies for training camp and preseason games. With the initial cut after Week Three of the preseason entailing a drop to 80, it means that the final cuts would put up to 864 players on the market in one fell swoop on Labor Day Weekend.)

7. The Competition Committee has proposed adjusting the injured reserve rules to allow players to return in the same season. (The current rule shuts the player down for the entire year, in order to discourage stockpiling players who may not be hurt. For players who truly have a short-term injury but whose skills don’t command holding a roster spot for part of the season, it’s unrealistic to shut them down for the full season.)

[Securb]

[Speng]

Giants to host NFC East rival Cowboys in 2012 season opener

The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 5 at MetLife Stadium in the 2012 season-opening NFL Kickoff game, the league announced Tuesday.

[Securb]

Giants to host NFC East rival Cowboys in 2012 season opener

The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 5 at MetLife Stadium in the 2012 season-opening NFL Kickoff game, the league announced Tuesday.

Who is going to hose the stink off the stadium at the end of the game?

[Hooch]

Who is going to hose the stink off the stadium at the end of the game?

I'm rooting for the meteor.

[Speng]

State, feds investigating allegations against Mickey Loomis

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82...line_stack

State and federal law officials have opened an investigation to determine if New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis violated wiretapping laws after allegations that a rigged device in his stadium suite allowed him to listen to opposing coaches' conversations.

ESPN's "Outside The Lines" reported Monday that an unidentified source claimed Loomis ordered a device in his Superdome suite be re-wired so he could listen to opponents' conversations through his own earpiece from 2002 to 2004. The report said it is unknown if Loomis ever used the device, which was located in front of his seat.

The Superdome was re-wired and remodeled, following the damage it sustained after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and other upgrades made to the city's landmark domed stadium, so that could make finding evidence of these allegations difficult.

Loomis could have violated state and federal wiretapping laws if he did listen to opponents without their knowledge, but the statute of limitations to prosecute him if he's found to have used the device could have expired, based on the timeframe of the allegations. The federal statute of limitations is five years in such cases, and it's six years according to Louisiana state law.

Even so, Loomis could face sanctions from the NFL if law enforcement or its own investigation finds wrongdoing. The league said the ESPN report was the first notice it had of the wiretapping allegations but declined to say if it's opening its own investigation.

[Securb]

Can we just take the Saints' Lombardi and be over with it.

[Hooch]

Can we just take the Saints' Lombardi and be over with it.

I think the angle is to take the entire team... to LA

[Hooch]

The Eagles got big Cox.

[Securb]

Hey we broke that news last month