http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/79520 ... -offseasonAt their meetings in March, the NFL team owners tabled seven bylaw proposals, four that would have significant impacts on the 2012 season.
Owners hold their spring meeting this week and might vote in some long-awaited upgrades to the game. One of those proposals was the increase to the 90-player roster in the offseason, which has already been implemented.
However, the most interesting proposal back on the table this week will be extending the trade deadline. Critics have complained for years the deadline ends too early. Under current rules, no trades can be executed past the Tuesday after the sixth week of the season.
In baseball terms, the NFL trade deadline would be the equivalent of going 61 games into a 162-game season. On a baseball calendar, trades would be stopped around June 8 or 9, and that's too early to see which teams are good or bad.
The proposal is to move the trade deadline back two weeks to allow eight games to be played before the trade deadline. That's a good start, although it wouldn't hurt to move it back another week or two.
Another well-thought proposal is allowing teams to bring back one player from the injured reserve list before the end of the season. Let's say Tom Brady or a marquee player suffers a serious injury before the start of the season. That player could be placed on the injured reserve list by Sept. 11 under a special designation.
The player would be able to return to practice after six weeks and be eligible to return to the active roster after eight weeks. Current rules force teams to place an injured player on IR and then lose him for the season.
The third most interesting bylaw involves players who suffered a concussion. It would allow a team to gain a roster spot for a game if a player with a concussion hasn't been cleared by doctors. Current rules allow for teams to designate seven inactive players. As long as the player with the concussion misses at least one game, he can be designated as inactive and become the eighth inactive player and it would free up a roster spot for that game for a replacement.
