Rules changes will be evident

07.31.2008

If the Browns' penchant for crazy plays and crazy endings continues this season, the NFL officials will be ready.

Unless the plays get even crazier.

Two prominent, end-of-game plays involving the Browns last season have led to rule changes for the 2008 season. The delay in Arizona while officials debated whether Kellen Winslow was forced out of bounds won't happen this season as the NFL has eliminated the force-out rule; receivers must land with two feet in bounds.

The confusion in Baltimore after Phil Dawson's field goal that wasn't - then was - has been addressed as well. Field goals and PAT kicks have been added to the list of reviewable plays.

Probably the biggest change fans will notice is the elimination of the 5-yard penalty for an incidental facemask. Twisting, pulling or turning the facemask will still bring a 15-yard penalty, but incidental contact will be ignored.

The changes were discussed Thursday by visiting official Mark Steinkerchner, a Northeast Ohio native. A group of four officials worked Wednesday's Browns practice and will be in town through Friday night's Family Night event at Cleveland Browns Stadium. They'll address the players as a group Thursday evening.

A new wrinkle that won't affect how the game is called but will affect the game is the addition of defensive headset communication. Each team will designate one primary defensive player and one backup player to wear a headset-equipped helmet.

At no point can more than one player on the field wear the headset helmet; a 5-yard penalty for illegal substitution will be assessed for violations of that rule. The player wearing the headset helmet will be able to hear his defensive coordinator until 15 seconds remain on the play clock, and the line of communication between the two will be re-opened at the conclusion of each play.

At least thus far, the Browns plan to equip Andra Davis and Leon Williams with the headset helmets. If Davis is the primary player, Williams will have to report to the umpire if he replaces Davis in the game.

As the backup, Williams would have to keep his headset helmet and a regular helmet in a box on the 50-yard line, allowing the officials to keep tabs on the headset helmets.

It's probably not as confusing as it may seem. The other changes and points of emphasis for this season are relatively simple as well.

**The only exception to the force out rule would be if a receiver is held up and carried out of bounds.

"But the league had to search through five years of footage to find one of those plays," Steinkerchner said. "It's not something that would happen very often.

"Before, the force out was a tough call. It was a big judgment call. Now, it's an easy call. The receiver either has two feet in or he doesn't."

**A team that wins the pregame coin toss can now defer its choice to the second half.

Deferring to the second half is a commonly used strategy in college and high school football, but this is the first year it's been added as an option in the NFL.

**Sportsmanship, player safety and cracking down on taunting remain atop the league's list of priorities. Any action that damages game equipment illegal -- like a player throwing the ball at the play clock to celebrate a score - will bring a 15-yard penalty.

**The officials say they'll be looking closely at illegal chop blocks and facemasking by an offensive player carrying the ball. Any twist, pull or grab will bring a 15-yard penalty. All chinstraps must be fastened at all times during play as well.

**A muffed hand to hand snap or untouched snap is now considered a backward pass, and the ball remains alive. Illegal forward handoffs will still bring a 5-yard penalty, but now opposing team can recover if those handoffs are muffed or fumbled; in the past, they were ruled incomplete passes.

**One note on "The Phil Dawson Rule" is field goals or PAT's are reviewable if a kick touches anything or crosses anything when it is lower than the top of uprights. It's only not reviewable if crosses above the uprights.