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09/07/10 04:25:00
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09/07 16:20 CDT NFL again tweaks positioning of umpires
NFL again tweaks positioning of umpires
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports WriterPeyton Manning complained, the NFL listened and now the league
is making additional tweaks to the umpire rule.
All 32 teams were told in a memo from the league Tuesday that the umpire will
position himself 12 yards from the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped
instead of approximately 15 yards, which was used during the preseason. The
umpires must now only get beyond the deepest running back - not established in
position - before the ball can be snapped.
The changes should make it easier for teams to use the no-huddle offense. That
should please Manning, who expressed his frustration after an Aug. 26 loss at
Green Bay.
"The one (illegal snap) on me I thought was ridiculous, down there by the goal
line when you're snapping the ball to keep them from potentially getting a
replay," Manning said then. "Also, they (umpires) are unsettled. To throw a
5-yard penalty is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. So I think that's one
thing that will be re-evaluated - at least a do-over of some sort, or a
warning. But a 5-yard penalty? That's ridiculous."
The league apparently agreed.
Officials will now have the discretion to issue a warning before enforcing the
5-yard penalty for an illegal snap. Clear violations, the memo said, will
continue to be penalized without a warning.
Umpires also will continue to be positioned in the middle of the defense, their
old position, during the final two minutes of the first half, the final five
minutes of the game and when the offense is at, or inside, the opponent's
5-yard line. The league made that change for last week's preseason finales.
The memo also points out that the head linesman or line judge can signal when
the ball can be snapped instead of having quarterbacks checking with referees,
something that was changed after the league's competition committee approved
the new rule in March.
League officials have repeatedly cited safety concerns as the reason for moving
umpires behind the deepest running back, saying statistics showed a significant
increase in the number of collisions and injuries incurred by umpires.
"It reached the point where the league office thought that the physical danger
out there and the safety of the umpire was becoming an issue, so we changed his
position," Colts president Bill Polian said recently. "We recognized that there
would be, A, mechanical issues, and B, issues with respect to certain penalties
that might or might not be called based upon the new position."
But after Manning insisted changes were needed, Polian said they were solvable.
Now the four-time league MVP and Polian are willing to see if this works.
"We'll see," Manning said last week during the annual bowling tournament he
hosts to raise money for the Peyback Foundation.
The league said referees and umpires will meet Friday in Dallas to review the
preseason and the mechanics of the changes to the umpire rule. The officials
for Thursday night's opener will review the material during a conference call
this week.
Manning was not available Tuesday, the Colts' regular off-day, but is expected
to comment on the changes Wednesday. Polian declined to comment.
(This version CORRECTS New approach. Corrects umpires being placed in old spot
during final five minutes of game last week. Updates with Polian declining
comment; Add photo links)
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