FanPost

What would you do as NFL Commissioner?

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

What changes would you make as NFL Commissioner for a day?

I ponder things. Always have, always will. I’m not really a daydreamer where random thoughts float through my mind. I just tend to turn over ideas on changes and what they could accomplish with things that interest me. This has been a benefit to me. Over the years I’ve received some substantial awards for reducing costs, increasing productivity, or simply streamlining procedures.

Even here at Cat Scratch Reader I haven’t been able to help myself. I once sent Jaxon emails on an idea to create a new sidebar, FanTacy. The concept being, consolidate fantasy football items in this section while using FanPosts/FanShots for all things relating to the real world NFL.

In past years, I have posted articles with five or six changes I would like in the NFL. These changes have included proposals on salary offsets, revised pass interference penalties, elimination the Pro Bowl, eliminating the coin toss, and many others. This year I decided to encourage CSR readers to share the changes they would like to see enacted.

I was going to give examples of housekeeping (minor) and negotiated (major) changes to NFL rules. Funny thing is, while investigating for this article, I discovered that the housekeeping change I was going to propose was actually enacted this off-season with little fanfare.

NFL Numbering System change: The NFL Competition Committee passed a rule at the league meetings allowing linebackers to wear jersey numbers in the 40s. Previously, linebackers were only allowed to wear 50-59 and 90-99. With centers eligible to wear numbers in the 50s and defensive linemen eligible to wear numbers in the 50s and 90s, the available numbers were running short.

I was going to add another reason for the numbering system change. This allows the new trend of players (linebacker/safety hybrids) to be designated as linebackers while wearing a jersey number that makes them more identifiable as a hybrid player.

Here is the NFL/NFLPA Negotiated change I have proposed in the past.

PROPOSED CHANGE

ANY PLAYER(S) SUSTAINING AN INJURY THAT RESULTS IN STOPPAGE OF PLAY WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIT OUT THE REMAINDER OF THE SERIES IN WHICH THE INJURY OCCURS.

Justification: This rule change enhances protections in place that relate to player safety and aids in the league efforts to protect the integrity of the game.

Examples of Requirement:

Sept. 19, 2011 (St. Louis Rams vs New York Giants): The Rams utilize a no-huddle offense as they drive down the field against the Giants defense. As the Rams reach the red zone, two Giants players (DB Deon Grant and LB Jacquain Williams) suddenly do a synchronized flop. This stopped action and allowed the Giants to insert a goal-line defense package. Neither player appeared injured at the end of the prior play or showed any detrimental effect after the "injuries".

Dec. 8, 2011 (Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers): Browns QB Colt McCoy takes a helmet-to-helmet hit from Steelers LB James Harrison. McCoy is knocked out and is taken off the field. Only two plays later, McCoy returns and throws an interception. After the game, McCoy is determined to have been concussed and should not have been allowed back into the game.

Sept. 2013: Retired Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher confirmed that the Bears had a player who was designated to fake an injury upon receiving a signal from a coach on sideline. This was done so the defense could disrupt the flow of the opposition's offense and/or to provide a strategy to allow defensive personnel to get a breather when opposing a sustained drive by the opposition.

Effect: Enacting this rule addresses two NFL priorities. Foremost, is that by not allowing a player to return to the series in which he receives an injury, the league effectively reduces the chance a player returns to action without adequate evaluation, enhancing player safety. Also, this rule helps reduce the perceived practice of players faking injury to gain a competitive advantage or affect a game's momentum. Finally, this rule removes the burden from officials of having to determine whether a player is truly injured or is engaging in gamesmanship. This defends the integrity of the game.

Conclusion: This change addresses multiple concerns in a modest yet appropriate manner and should be enacted as soon as possible.

Now it’s your turn. Please use the comments section of this post to share what change or changes you would like to see within the NFL. If you put each change in an individual comment, then CSR readers can recommend the ones they like and we can all get a reading on which changes are considered to have the most merit.

The content of these posts are those of the user/fan making the post only