The infamous “tuck rule’’ could disappear from NFL games if owners approve a proposal from the competition committee to eliminate it at next week’s owners meetings in Phoenix.
The owners also will consider a change to instant replay rules allowing for a video review even when a coach makes an illegal challenge.
If a passer is in the act of bringing the ball down into his body rather than throwing it and loses control, it has been ruled an incomplete pass under the tuck rule. The proposal would make it a fumble.
The NFL Competition Committee, which is chaired by Falcons general manager Rich McKay, announced several proposed rule changes for 2013. All proposals require a two-thirds vote of the ownership at next week’s annual meeting.
The league owners will vote on the tuck rule and five other proposed rule changes at the meetings, which run from Sunday through Wednesday.
Among the other proposed rule changes is a modification to illegal challenges by coaches. The competition committee is looking to do away with a rule that prevents challenges if a coach illegally throws his red flag on a play that was to be automatically reviewed.
On Thanksgiving, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz threw a challenge flag on a touchdown run by Texans running back Justin Forsett after his knee clearly hit the ground. Because all scoring plays are automatically reviewed, his challenge was illegal and no video replay ensued. The Texans won the game in overtime.
— Mark Cannizzaro