NFL changes overtime rules for 2012-13 season - NFL News
The National Football League (NFL) Annual meeting ended on Wednesday at Palm Beach, Florida and the owners came out with some new rules to the game for the 2012-13 season.
The most significant change for the upcoming season is on overtime rules.
This year overtime will function as those during the 2011-12 postseason meaning that a team cannot win a game outright in the extra period by just scoring a field goal.
Now if the offensive team scores a field goal, the opposition will have the chance to level things again by scoring their own field goal.
However, a team can win outright if it scores a touchdown or the defence manages a safety on the first play.
This is good news for the game as these rules will apply in the regular season giving both teams a fair chance of winning the game.
The proposal was almost unanimously approved by the owners by a 30-2 margin.
Moreover, the owners also decided on approving video reviews of each and every turnover. This means that coaches do not need to challenge turnovers during the game.
Each turnover will be reviewed by the booth official and this will in turn lead to better decisions and more effective coaching challenges.
The meeting also passed other rules which include.
A team would lose a down for illegally kicking a loose ball, too many players on the field leads to a dead ball foul and a player given a crackback block is now considered a defenceless player.
Competition committee chairman Rich McKay praised the rules and said they will work on the wordings.
"There were good ideas and suggestions, no resistance. We'll work on the language."
Commissioner Roger Goodell also addressed the meeting and the one thing on his mind was the Saints bounty scandal.
In his speech the commissioner specifically called for throwing out any such illegal cultures and that the league would not tolerate such behaviour if it is ever discovered.
"It's not permissible and we are going to take that out of the game,"
The NFL is set to review other motions in the next owners meeting in May which will take place in Atlanta.
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