Bowen: Forget about kelly green for now, Eagles fans
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The carefully cultivated byways winding toward the Arizona Biltmore hotel are lined by an amazing array of colors this time of year, but kelly green is not among them.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -
The carefully cultivated byways winding toward the Arizona Biltmore hotel are lined by an amazing array of colors this time of year, but kelly green is not among them.
From a Philadelphia fan's standpoint, of all the issues scheduled to be addressed at the NFL owners meetings, which convened here Sunday evening, the most significant would have been if the Eagles' proposal to allow teams a second helmet would have gone forward to a vote. And never mind the Raiders' anticipated move to Las Vegas.
The Eagles' helmet proposal would have begun the process of allowing the team to establish kelly-green throwback uniforms, like the Eagles wore in the 2010 season opener. The league mandated in 2013 that whatever the uniforms, teams had to use their usual helmets. This was cast as a safety issue; each helmet is custom fit, and there is more than one approved manufacturer. The league spoke of helmets needing a "break-in period."
But news reports at the time also indicated that "safety" was being stretched to include the fact that some players still wore helmets that were no longer made, and couldn't be duplicated for a second helmet color. You're free to wonder how "safe" that really was. And four years later, are those helmets still in use? Also, equipment managers say the "break-in period" theory is outdated; certainly there are college teams that seem to change helmets week-to-week.
It's strange to think that in 2017, an NFL equipment staff can't prepare and maintain two sets of custom-fit helmets.
At any rate, the second-helmet thing was among five proposals the Eagles made to the NFL competition committee. The only surviving Eagles suggestion was to ban leaping over the line to block kicks. Eagles president Don Smolenski said over the weekend that the team didn't really get an explanation on the ideas that won't go forward.
The ban on second helmets has been confusing for Eagles fans, who see what look like alternate helmets worn by rivals with their throwback gear. Smolenski said that while teams are able to apply or remove decals to give a throwback look, none of them actually has a second helmet. In addition, Smolenski said - and this seems particularly silly - while you can change the decals, you can't completely wrap a helmet with a new color and decal, the way NASCAR wraps cars, instead of painting them.
So, no kelly green, for now. Smolenski said the team might raise the issue again next year; he feels other teams affected by the rule also are interested in changing it.
Otherwise, the Raiders' move, which seems all but a formality, is the main business of the gathering. It could be voted on as early as Monday, when the league really gets down to business. There is a reported $750 million in public money involved in the Raiders' $1.9 billion - yes, seriously - stadium proposal, and the league is unlikely to resist the allure of such a windfall.
The other big news is likely to be centralized replay, an attempt to modernize and streamline the increasingly time-consuming replay process. No more sitting and watching some guy in stripes stick his head under a hood so he can see on a monitor what Troy Aikman just explained to the entire world. If this change is approved, the league office in New York will make the call, in consultation with a referee who will be watching the replays on a tablet.
The competition committee also wants to make certain illegal hits subject to mandatory ejection or suspension, something committee chairman Rich McKay has stressed would come into play very rarely.
There also is a proposal to limit overtime to 10 minutes, instead of the current 15, possibly creating more ties. This also is arising under the flag of player safety, particularly in an era of Sunday-Thursday turnarounds, but it might not have the votes to pass.
Also, the 25-yard line for touchbacks on kickoffs, and the ejection of players with two unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties, should become permanent changes, after being used on a trial basis.
Commissioner Roger Goodell is interested in speeding up play, so the league might consider a running clock between every extra point or field goal and the ensuing kickoff. It's also possible that the "defenseless receiver" guidelines will be expanded, and that rules on celebrations will be mildly relaxed.
As usual, reporters will get their longest session of the year with their respective coaches, the hourlong AFC coaches' breakfast scheduled for Tuesday and the NFC coaches, including Doug Pederson, available Wednesday. Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie, straight from the pages of Time magazine, is scheduled for a rare talk with the media Tuesday evening.
@LesBowen
Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog