The NFL is moving forward on a number of rule changes for the 2016 season that in some ways will have a sizable impact on how the game is played.
In total seven changes were agreed upon by the NFL Competition Committee which include making all chop blocks illegal, automatic ejections, moving touchbacks back to the 25-yard line and permanently moving the line of scrimmage to the 15 yard line on extra points.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network and Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal further shared the full list of rules.
These proposals have been adopted just now by the clubs — chop blocks are illegal, PATs permanently are at the 15 pic.twitter.com/LIEHOjif23
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2016
Here are the NFL rule changes: pic.twitter.com/Oey8v5lrM0
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) March 23, 2016
Stephen Jones tells me the automatic ejection proposal passed for a year. So did the 25-yard-line touchbacks on kickoffs.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 23, 2016
Obviously the biggest impacts on the game itself lie with the full elimination of chop blocks which will force some teams to adjust blocking patterns during running plays. Needless to say though the chop block has been one of the more controversial plays in football as linemen, especially ones of the defensive side of the ball have protested for a while now that once legal chop blocks posed a greater threat of injury.
Meanwhile, permanently moving extra points to the 15-yard line should continue to force teams into more strategic planning on what was once an easy point to obtain. Last season we saw a number of place kickers miss on the extra point which in turn weighed a pretty heavy toll at times on the outcome of the game. Consequently, two point conversions will remain at the two-yard line as an appetizing alternative.
Left off the docket for this season at least was the embarrassing grey area surrounding a catch and ejections for multiple personal foul penalties.
