Cowboys Weigh in on Proposed NFL Rule Changes

Jerry Jones will address the release of DeMarcus Ware. Jason Garrett will talk – yes, again – about Bill Callahan and the team’s play-calling logistics. A compensatory draft pick might be awarded.

And the Cowboys just might be announced as the opening-game opponent for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.

Should be a fascinating couple days for the NFL owners’ meetings at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando.

The Cowboys play at Seattle in 2014, and to me it’s likely the NFL would love that as its debut marquee matchup on the Thursday night of Kickoff Weekend. The Cowboys might also get an extra draft pick because they lost Mike Jenkins to the Raiders in free agency last off-season.

A main topic of the meetings will be rules proposals and the competition committee, of which Stephen Jones is a member. The main changes to be debated and, ultimately, voted upon:

*Expanding the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams, one per conference. At 8-8 even the expanded field wouldn’t have helped the Cowboys the last three years.

*Extended the height of goal posts five feet. I’ve been calling for this for years, to take away the uncertainty of field goals that seemingly go directly over the upright.

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*Eliminate overtime in pre-season games. Duh.

*Moving the line-of-scrimmage on extra points from the 2 to the 25. This is a proposal by the Patriots, who – like me – think there’s nothing more boring in sports than the automatic extra point (only five of 1,267 were missed in 2013). This move, which likely won’t be passed, would turn the slam-dunk extra point into a nervy kick from 42 yards out. Dan Bailey was 7 of 7 from 40-49 yards last season, so the Cowboys shouldn’t worry.

*The Redskins also want to totally eliminate the kickoff return by moving kickoffs up from the 35 to the 40-yard-line. Sure it’s aimed at player safety, but if you’re going to do that just give teams the ball at their own 20 and skip the kickoff out of the back of the end zone. This rule would hurt the Cowboys, as Dwayne Harris and his 30-yard average was one of their best offensive weapons.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently writes a sports/guy stuff blog at DFWSportatorium.com and lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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