Foundation laid for future changes
— -- PHOENIX -- Despite having productive meetings that wrapped up Wednesday, the NFL owners will have to go farther west to take care of unfinished business.
The next stop is San Francisco, which will host the May owners meetings.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was that there was enough of a consensus to make major alternations to extra points this season. In the May meeting, owners will vote on changes that could include moving up the two-point conversion spot from the 2 to the 1½-yard line and moving back the extra-point kick spot from the 2 to the 15-yard line.
In May, there will be more of a push to resolve the relocation of a team or two to Los Angeles. This week, owners started the conversation, but more presentations and discussions will take place in San Francisco. A big report about the three interested teams -- the Chargers, Raiders and Rams -- is scheduled to be delivered to the owners in May.
Here is what we learned at this week's owners meetings.
1. As expected, there weren't a lot of changes -- for now. Only eight of the playing proposals passed. That was expected. The meetings ended quickly Wednesday because very little was left for consideration from the competition committee after most of the expanded replay proposals failed Tuesday. The Chicago Bears' proposal to ensure two possessions in overtime had little chance of passing and was rejected. No big deal, but owners voted to allow linebackers to wear numbers in the 40s and permit retractable roofs to be opened at halftime.
Though little changed at this meeting, the stage was set for potential major changes, especially regarding extra points. The plan is for the competition committee to meet and come up with a recommendation in the next 30 days. Moving the two-point conversion spot to the 1½ appears to be a certainty. Commissioner Roger Goodell has been pitching the idea of spotting extra-point kicks at the 15 for more than a year. Because the May meetings will involve owners and no coaches, that change has a decent chance. Rich McKay, co-chairman of the competition committee, added there is a decent chance that defenders could be allowed to score two points if they can force a turnover on a conversion attempt and return it to the opposite end zone.
Some owners came out of the meetings feeling that an eventual narrowing of the goal posts to make field goals more of a challenge is inevitable. Little changed at this meeting, but expect plenty of open dialogue and possible major alterations over the next couple of years.
2. Battle lines were drawn with Adrian Peterson. Ben Dogra, Peterson's agent, said it would be in his client's best interest to no longer play for the Minnesota Vikings. Last week, the Vikings' brass informed Peterson he won't be cut. On Wednesday, coach Mike Zimmer said the Vikings have no plans to trade Peterson. So what happens next? First, it's pretty clear Peterson will do everything possible to force a trade. Though he doesn't have much leverage, he can withhold his services as long as he is a member of the team.
With the Dallas Cowboys having a salary-cap situation that might make a trade for Peterson unfeasible, the Arizona Cardinals become the most logical trade partner. The Cardinals might wait until the draft to see what it would take to get Peterson. Arizona coach Bruce Arians wants a big back, and he acknowledges that this is the best draft for running backs in a decade. According to a source, three big backs are on his radar in the first three rounds. If the Cards get into the second round and don't sense they can get one of the backs of their choice, they could reach out to the Vikings. Don't expect the Peterson situation to be resolved soon.
3. Loose ends remain. Goodell said a ruling on the Cleveland Browns' violation of in-game texting policy should be coming soon. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter the team already has been told of its penalty. Goodell said the league takes violations of the electronic device rule seriously, so expect a strong sanction against Browns general manager Ray Farmer for sends text messages to Browns offensive coaches during games. A resolution to Deflategate doesn't seem close as Ted Wells continues his investigation. Goodell said there is no timetable for a decision.
Multiple teams are being investigated for tampering during the three days before the start of free agency. Nothing is close there. The league continues to investigate Greg Hardy's case to determine his status and potential punishment. The target date remains April 15 to decide what to do with Peterson, who is on the exempt list. Meanwhile, the race for stadiums is on in four cities. Goodell said the NFL is working with politicians in San Diego and St. Louis to see if their stadium options can convince the Chargers and the Rams to stay where they are. The NFL office has plenty on its plate.
Short takes
The highlight of Wednesday's NFC coaches breakfast was watching Eagles coach Chip Kelly spar with the Philadelphia media. The local press pounded Kelly with questions about his new front-office authority, his bold offseason moves and his chances of getting Marcus Mariota. Once again, Kelly stressed he has no trade clout with the 20th pick to move up high enough to get his former Oregon quarterback. He continued to stress that his decision-making authority came from owner Jeff Lurie, who wanted to maximize the value of his head coach. ... New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is excited about the acquisition of running back C.J. Spiller, who will be rotated in the backfield with Mark Ingram. Payton loves Spiller's explosiveness and versatility. ... From the sounds of Payton, the Saints will be able to keep guard Jahri Evans, although he might have to take a pay cut to stay on the roster. Payton said the cap prevented the Saints from keeping both Evans and guard Ben Grubbs, who was traded to Kansas City for a fifth-round choice. Once they traded Grubbs, Payton said they knew they could keep Evans.
