Greetings from beautiful sunny Florida at the NFL’s annual spring meetings. You’ll be hearing on social media and television about these daily meetings over the next few days because this is where the game’s rule changes, and other football topics are discussed. In some cases, they are voted on later in the offseason. Sounds so boring when I read that sentence back, but tons of news and information seeps out of the media availabilities with the teams’ head coaches.
I also call this the OTR meetings or “Off the Record” meetings.
So many conversations are had in this relaxed environment, which is hosted by the league at a hotel that I would probably get kicked out of if I showed up in my actual car, a 2014 Acura RDX (proudly with 175,000 miles), instead of the sweet rental car I driving around in.
I spent most of the morning looking at the ocean near my hotel wondering why I torture my loved ones and live in New Jersey. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my beautiful home state (great job St. Peter’s!), but Vitamin D this time of year has a way of making everything feel like “it’s all going to be OK.” The last text I had with my mom today was “it’s so freakin’ cold here. Just stay and don’t come back”
OK, so here’s what you need to know about all things football here in Palm Beach:
*These meetings are back in person. They were canceled in 2020 and went virtual in 2021.
*The biggest topic discussed will be potential changes to the overtime rule and it could go through a makeover.
*Three teams, the Colts, Eagles, and Titans, proposed changes to the overtime rule.
*The Colts and Eagles proposed allowing both teams in overtime to possess the ball.
*The Titans proposed that both teams can possess the ball in overtime if the first team with possession doesn’t score a touchdown and a two-point conversion. I personally love this change and I do think it’s funny it comes from GM Jon Robinson’s club, which didn’t deal with overtime at all this past season. Maybe the team’s staff saw enough close games to know they are doomed if it happens to them!
The proposal would need 24 votes during these meetings to pass.
*This also is the time for the annual head coaches’ class photo. It’s meant to document and respect the position of head coach in the NFL, but every year it just turns out to be a picture fans obsess over to see what is funny. Coaches wear their Sunday best and usually look like they have been sitting in the sun too long. Then we have the staples like the Chiefs’ Andy Reid always dressed in a Hawaiian shirt. Sometimes the Patriots’ Bill Belichick shows, sometimes he doesn’t. This year, the Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy will miss the photo because he won’t be attending the meetings. I can’t wait to read Twitter’s reaction to this year’s photo after a two-year drought!
I’ll be posting more as the meetings continue and news starts breaking!
