The rule change that the Ravens proposed, prohibiting defensive players on punts from pushing teammates into the offensive formation at the line of scrimmage, got the necessary votes for approval Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings.
However, there has been no resolution on the proposed rule change that is being closely linked to the Ravens. The NFL competition committee has proposed to "make it illegal for an offensive player with an eligible number to report as ineligible, and line up outside the core of the formation."
The New England Patriots used the tactic in their 35-31 victory in the AFC divisional playoff round, leaving the Ravens struggling to adjust. If the proposal gets 75 percent of the vote from NFL owners Wednesday, the tactic would be prohibited going forward, and that would be just fine with head coach John Harbaugh.
"[Former NFL coach] John Madden proposed it and the coaches pretty much all supported it. We have jersey numbers for a reason. Let's use it, like they do in college. That was John Madden's proposal and I like that proposal," Harbaugh said at the NFL owners meetings at the Arizona Biltmore resort.
"Certain jersey numbers are eligible numbers and certain jersey numbers are ineligible numbers. If you're eligible, you put on an eligible number. If you're ineligible, you put on an ineligible number. They do it in college and they did it in the NFL up until, I don't know, I'm going to guess the 60's. … Now, we go through kind of a circus act where we have to identify who is ineligible and who is not with signals. That's what got the referees in trouble in the playoffs."
The passing of the Ravens' proposal was one of five changes made that were designed to improve player safety. Meanwhile, many of the proposals involving alterations to instant replay were defeated.
"We thought it should be in there to begin with, just because, if you're going to do it with the field goals, why not do it with the punts?," Harbaugh said of the Ravens' proposal that was approved later in the day. "It's more of a clean-up type of a proposal. It's not the end of the world if it doesn't pass. We just thought it made sense."