NFL 2015 News: Team Owners to Discuss Game Stoppage for Unstable Players

During the NFL owners' meetings that began Monday, the committee submitted a proposal to stop games when a medical adviser sees a player displaying obvious signs of disorientation, Barry Wilner of the Associated Press reports.

The proposal was part of a busy agenda that included a total of two-dozen proposals and rule changes. The initiative came about after reviewing the Super Bowl incident, along with several similar ones, that involved a wobbly Julian Adelman allowed to remain the game despite obvious signs of disorientation.

According to the report, the proposal suggests that medical spotters upstairs would be communicating with the officiating crew to determine if a player is unstable. If a determination is made, the game would be stopped to remove the player, who would be subjected to, at the very least, a sideline examination.

"We got the medical spotters they've got a really good vantage point, they've got technology in their booth, they're communicating pretty well with our trainers and doctors and we've got a pretty good rhythm going there,'' Rich McKay, co-chairman of the committee and president of the Atlanta Falcons, said.

"Why would we miss a play where a player should have come out of the game," he added.

Other suggestions of the proposal would be allowing the player's team to substitute for him, with the opposite team also given the opportunity to change personnel.

Other prominent proposals include the use of instant replay to review all penalties called by game officials"”pass interference, holding, personal fouls, penalties against defenseless players, clock issues, among others.

Wilner also reports that New England proposed that everything apart from scoring plays and turnovers be allowed to be subjected to challenges, while also increasing the number of challenges from two to three.

The owners are scheduled to vote on a few of the proposals in the next couple of days, while a good number of them are expected to be discussed further during the next major meetings in May.