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New rules roundup: Field-goal posts to be extended

ORLANDO, Fla. -- On the third day of the NFL Annual Meeting, the league's ownership got down to voting.

One day after approving a rule to allow referees to consult with the officiating department in New York during replay review, the league came to a decision on the rest of the rule proposals on the docket. Here's a quick summary of the measures, from NFL Media's Albert Breer:

Rule changes

  1. The New England Patriots' proposal to extend the goal posts five feet has passed. Let's just call this "The Adam Carolla Rule."

"It just made sense," Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told Around the League's Marc Sessler. It passed "relatively easily."

  1. The "NaVorro Bowman Rule" was passed. That allows the officials to make the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play a reviewable call. This loophole was exposed when Bowman clearly recovered a ball in the NFC Championship Game last year, but the play couldn't be under review.
  1. The game clock will now continue after a quarterback sack outside of two minutes.

Failed proposals

  1. Multiple proposals to expand plays that can be reviewed were shot down. The Patriots had suggested allowing all plays to be reviewed. The Washington Redskins wanted personal fouls to be reviewed.

Less than 50 percent of coaches supported the measure to make all plays reviewable, according to the Competition Committee. The committee said the topic inspired a lot of debate.

  1. The Redskins' proposal to move the kickoff to the 40-yard line was shot down. So was their idea to eliminate the training camp roster cutdown to 75 players.
  1. The Patriots' proposal to move the extra point back to the 25-yard line failed, but the league will experiment with a new extra-point system during the preseason. Extra points in Weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason will be snapped from the 20-yard line. (Making them like a 37-yard field goal.)
  1. The proposal to allow an unlimited number of players on injured reserve to return to the active roster failed. Jeff Fisher of the Competition Committee said that vote wasn't close.

No decision yet

  1. The abolition of overtime in the preseason was tabled until May.

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  1. The idea to expand the practice squad from eight to ten players was also tabled. The same goes for expanding rosters for Thursday night games to 49 from 46.
  1. The league also put off deciding whether to allow teams to open their roof during halftime at games for weather reasons.
  1. The Competition Committee told the Patriots that it will look at the possibility of adding cameras to all goal lines, side lines and end lines. The NFL will discuss the possibility with its broadcast partners.

The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks down all the latest news at the NFL Annual Meeting.

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